Joint Center Presented Governor Wes Moore with Louis E. Martin Great American Award

WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies honored Maryland Governor Wes Moore with its highest honor — the Louis E. Martin Great American Award — at The Gathering Spot in Washington, DC.

The ceremony included an award presentation and a policy discussion with distinguished panelists: Shalanda Young, 43rd Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget; Rey Ramsey, President and CEO of Nathan Cummings Foundation; and Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, President of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, as the moderator. The conversation highlighted how states — particularly Maryland — are meeting this moment through innovative approaches to governance that safeguard vulnerable communities, respond to federal funding cuts, and maintain investments for a better future.

“Governor Wes Moore represents the best of contemporary political leadership,” said Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad. “As the first ever Black governor in Maryland’s history, leading a state with one of the largest Black populations in the nation, he holds a unique perspective to help accurately assess the needs of his constituents. His leadership demonstrates how bold, values-driven governance can expand opportunity and protect vulnerable communities even in challenging times. Honoring Governor Moore with the Louis E. Martin Great American Award affirms our commitment to lifting up leaders who embody the spirit of equity and hope that Martin championed throughout his life.”

“I thank the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, not simply for this honor, but for the decades of service that have defined one of America’s great institutions of economic empowerment,” said Gov. Moore. “I stand on broad shoulders, shaped and shepherded by the Joint Center. Together, we will continue to deliver the kind of progress that those who came before us fought for, and those who come after us deserve.”

The Louis E. Martin Great American Award recognizes individuals who have made transformational contributions that further the promise of America as a land of hope and opportunity for all. First awarded in 2004, the honor memorializes Louis E. Martin (1912–1997), a principal founder of the Joint Center and the first chair of its board.

Past recipients include Federal Reserve Board Member Dr. Lisa D. Cook, former Joint Center President Spencer Overton, Secretary of State Colin Powell (posthumously), La June Montgomery Tabron, Cedric Richmond, Stacey Abrams, then-Senator Kamala Harris, former Joint Center President Eddie Williams, Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Senator Cory Booker, former Ambassador Susan Rice, Congressmen John Lewis and James Clyburn, Dorothy Height, and Muhammad Ali.

About Wes Moore
Wes Moore is the 63rd Governor of the state of Maryland. He is Maryland’s first Black Governor in the state’s 246-year history, and is just the third African American elected Governor in the history of the United States. Moore is a graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and College, where he received an Associate’s degree in 1998, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He then went on to earn his Bachelor’s in international relations and economics at Johns Hopkins University. As the first Black Rhodes Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University, he earned a Master’s in international relations from Wolfson College at Oxford. Moore is also the author of the books “The Other Wes Moore” and “Five Days.”

About Louis E. Martin
Louis E. Martin was a 1934 graduate of the University of Michigan, a Chicago Defender journalist, the founding editor and publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, and a founder of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.  In serving as an advisor to three presidents, Martin was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the nomination of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967. Martin was one of the founders of the Joint Center in 1970, and served as its board chair from 1970-1979.  Among friends and colleagues, Martin was known for expressing his warmest respects with his favorite compliment: “You are a great American.”

About the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, provides compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the full freedom of Black people in America. We are the trusted forum for leading experts and scholars to participate in major public policy debates and promote ideas that advance Black communities. We use evidence-based research, analysis, convenings, and strategic communications to support Black communities and a network of allies.

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