Morello will receive the award at the ceremony and reception to honor this year's Hillman Prize-winners for excellence in journalism in service of the common good. Previous Officers' awards have gone to such figures as Eleanor Roosevelt, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Harry Belafonte, and others.
Morello will be performing at this year's ceremony.
In 2011, Tom Morello sang on the capitol steps in Madison, Wisconsin to support the public employees in their fight to protect collective bargaining. He visited and performed at Occupy Wall Street protests in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. He donated the proceeds from his Justice Tour concerts in Madison WI, Flint MI, and Cleveland OH to the Nation Institute.
"Tom Morello's work in pursuing social and economic justice - and in telling the stories of working men and women - is exemplary and inspiring," said Bruce Raynor, president of the Sidney Hillman Foundation. "Tom's music, energy and leadership brings attention to causes that matter and inspires others to become more active on the public commons. In the words of another American songwriter, there's a battle outside and it's ragin' - and almost any time we look, there's Tom Morello right out in front."
The awards ceremony will take place at 6pm Tuesday, May 1, 212, at The TimesCenter, in New York City.
Tom Morello is an original member of the rock bands Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave, two acts responsible for multiple Grammy Awards and a combined 30 million albums sold worldwide. He released his first solo album as The Nightwatchman in 2007, and in 2009 Morello formed the band Street Sweeper Social Club with Boots Riley of The Coup.
2011 saw the release of two critically acclaimed solo releases. His full-length solo album, "World Wide Rebel Songs," was recognized as one of the top 50 best albums of the year by Rolling Stone magazine and was released on the heels of his benefit EP, "Union Town." All profits from "Union Town" benefited The America Votes Labor Unity Fund via SaveWorkers.org and consists of 8 pro-union songs.
Morello graduated from Harvard University with honors as a Political Science major and has been a widely recognized political activist throughout his career.
Rolling Stone magazine recognized Morello as one of the "100 Greatest Guitar Players of All-Time."
Watch his "UnionTown" Video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ZT71DxLuM
About the Sidney Hillman Foundation
The Sidney Hillman Foundation honors excellence in journalism in service of the common good. Hillman Prize judges are Rose Arce, Hendrik Hertzberg, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Harold Meyerson and Susan Meiselas. The Foundation awards the annual Hillman Prizes and the monthly Sidney Awards.
Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has celebrated the legacy and vision of union pioneer and New Deal architect Sidney Hillman. As founder and president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, a predecessor union to Workers United, SEIU, and a founder of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), Hillman is considered one of America's greatest labor leaders. His tireless efforts to bring dignity and respect to working people left a lasting legacy for the American public.
For more information on the Hillman Foundation's go to: www.hillmanfoundation.org