Conferences & Awards
The Spirit of America Award
The Spirit of America Award, which is co-sponsored by NCSS and Social Studies School Service, was created to give recognition to an individual who has made a significant contribution that exemplifies the “American Democratic Spirit.” The award honors persons who follow their conscience and act against current thinking in order to stand up for equity, freedom, and the American spirit of justice.
2025 Award Winner
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Miami, Florida. She received her undergraduate and law degrees, both with honors, from Harvard University, then served as a law clerk for three federal judges, including Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer of the Supreme Court of the United States. Jackson subsequently practiced law in the private sector, worked as an attorney and later as Vice Chair and Commissioner of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and served as an assistant federal public defender. In 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Jackson to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2021, Jackson made history in 2022 when President Joseph Biden nominated her as an Associate Justice. The first Black woman ever confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States, she took her seat on June 30, 2022.
List of previous award winners:
Year Received
Recipient Name
1989
Ralph Nader
1990
Jimmy Carter
1991
Marian Wright Edelman
1992
Rosa Parks
1994
Barry Goldwater
1995
Marva Collins
1996
George McGovern
1998
Dolores Huerta
1999
Fred Rogers
2000
Morris Dees
2001
Elizabeth Campbell
2002
George Mitchell
2003
Hugh O' Brian
2004
George Russell, Jr.
2005
Jim Lehrer
2006
Chief Joe Medicine Crow
2007
Loung Ung
2008
Firoozeh Dumas
2009
Greg Mortenson
2010
Da Chen
2011
Diane Ravitch
2012
James W. Loewen
2013
Rep. John Lewis
2014
Jose Antonio Vargas
2015
Masahiro Sasaki
2015
Clifton Truman Daniel
2016
Terrence Roberts
2017
Rosa Rios
2018
Khizr Khan
2019
Sylvia Mendez
2020
Nikole Hannah Jones
2021
Florent Groberg
2022
LaGarrett King
2023
Zoe Weil
2024
Danielle Allen
2025
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson