TEACH TRUTH! The 2025 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards

Former Congressman and longtime educator, Jamaal Bowman, and educator and activist, Jesse Hagopian, will be honored for their activism at the 2025 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards. This annual event — named to honor the legacy of the Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., a civil rights and anti-war activist who championed the power of civil disobedience and peaceful protest in fighting injustice — recognizes activists who serve as a model for current and future change-makers. All proceeds benefit the work of Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS), a non-profit peace organization and companion organization to Peace Action New York State (PANYS), the New York affiliate of Peace Action.

*** Tickets are available for purchase at tinyurl.com/WSCA25.***

The awards ceremony and reception will take place on Monday, September 29, 2025 beginning at 6pm at Scandinavia House (58 Park Avenue) in New York City. The awards ceremony will also be livestreamed virtually beginning at 6pm ET.

Jamaal Bowman and Jesse Hagopian were selected as this year’s 2025 Peacemaker Awards honorees for their tireless activism for a free and fair U.S. education system. Amidst the current rightwing assault on the U.S. education system, it is crucial to uplift the educators who are defending public education and young Americans’ right to learn the truth about the nation’s history and the world around them.

Jamaal Bowman is a lifelong educator and former U.S. Congressman who has dedicated his career to transforming communities through equity-driven leadership, education, and bold policymaking. In Congress, he championed groundbreaking legislation, including the Green New Deal for Public Schools to invest in public schools and zero-carbon school facilities; the More Teaching, Less Testing Act to end the over-emphasis on standardized testing; and the African American History Act provide funding to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). As founding principal of Cornerstone Academy for Social Action (CASA) in the Bronx, Dr. Bowman led the school to top-tier growth scores in NYC, doubled math proficiency, and built a student-centered curriculum that prioritized social-emotional development and community partnerships. Whether in schools, Congress, or community spaces, Dr. Bowman continues to build systems that center justice, equity, and human potential.

Jesse Hagopian is a nationally-recognized educator, speaker, and writer known for his clear vision, inspiring storytelling, and unwavering commitment to truth in education. For over two decades, Jesse has been on the front lines of public education—as a classroom teacher, curriculum builder, mentor, and organizer working to center student voices and reimagine what schools can be. He teaches Ethnic Studies at Seattle’s Garfield High School—his alma mater and the site of the historic 2013 MAP test boycott—and serves as an editor for Rethinking Schools magazine. He is also the author of Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education. This carefully-researched book examines the Right’s ongoing efforts to censor discussions of structural oppression and racism, challenging the reader to fight back. As a longtime educator and organizer, Hagopian recognizes that our democracy is at stake, as well as entire systems of knowledge that challenge the status quo.