At the Center for Popular Democracy, Ady founded and ran the Local Progress network and the Fed Up campaign to demand accountability from government officials.

Since the onset of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in 2016, Ady has focused his work on the importance of ensuring that everyone gets the health care they need.

“Be a Hero” started after a viral video captured his conversation with then-Senator Jeff Flake on an airplane. Ady asked the senator to vote against Trump tax bill because of the profound impact the law would have on health care coverage. Since then Ady has mobilized thousands of people into active participation in American democracy and has become a leading voice in the struggle for Medicare For All.

His compelling book, “Eyes to the Wind, A Memoir of Love and Death, Hope and Resistance,” recounts both his growth as a social justice activist and the changes to his life and activism brought on by ALS.

We’re honoring Ady for his tenacity, his commitment to organizing people directly affected by injustice and his willingness to use his personal experience to move people to action.

You may recognize Heather from one of her many television appearances, where she is not another talking head, but a thoughtful analyst who brings unique, emotionally-informed insight and a sharp political analysis of racial injustice to whatever topic she’s talking about.

Heather has served for sixteen years at the think-tank Demos, including four years as its president. Her leadership in concrete policy campaigns around equity, civic engagement and equal access to opportunity have led to billions of dollars staying in the hands of U.S. consumers, better wages for tens of thousands of workers and access to elections for millions.

Heather’s transformational leadership as Demos director took an already strong resource and made it more racially diverse until its staff was majority people of color. She also grew its budget and influence while uniquely positioning Demos as a think-tank committed to winning while also uplifting the voices and political power of communities of color.

We’re honoring Heather for her bold, race-forward leadership, her ability to bring keen political insight and emotion to multiple platforms, and her ability to move people and institutions to take action on racial equity and economic justice.

Kamilah was born into a family of Jamaican immigrants and raised in Chicago. After graduating from Howard University with a theater degree, she began her first exploration into the genre that she coined “Hip-Hop Theater.”

In 2000, Kamilah founded the Hip-Hop Theater Festival (now known as Hi-Arts), which featured the interdisciplinary work of emerging Hip-Hop artists on issues of race, culture, gender and sexuality.

Kamilah has written, directed and produced several award-winning projects for stage and television – such as “What’s Going On”—the 40th anniversary celebration of Marvin Gaye’s iconic album featuring John Legend. She also created the celebration Nas’ “20 Year Anniversary of Illmatic”— accompanied with 96 players from the National Symphony Orchestra — all staged at the Kennedy Center.

In her role as the executive producer of the Apollo Theater, Kamilah leads the legendary cultural powerhouse dedicated to the projection of the African American narrative and its role in the development of American and global culture. Her recent projects include directing the world premiere and theatrical adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ New York Times Best-Selling novel “Between the World and Me.”

We’re honoring Kamilah for her leadership to identify and support emerging artists of color, her commitment to creative works by, for, and about Black artists, and the vision reflected in her own artistic work.