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    June 05, 2025

    Civil rights activist Maya D. Wiley to receive ABA Thurgood Marshall Award

    WASHINGTON, June 5, 2025 — The American Bar Association Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice will honor civil rights activist Maya D. Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund.

    The award will be presented at a virtual celebration honoring Wiley’s longtime career advancing civil rights on Thursday, July 31, from 6:30-8 p.m. EDT.

    “Maya Wiley is not only a civil rights leader but a moral compass for our times,” said Lacy Durham, chair of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice. “With vision, courage and boundless compassion, she has transformed lives and challenged the structures perpetuating injustice. Her work is a living tribute to Justice Thurgood Marshall’s legacy of advancing equality, amplifying the voices too often silenced and insisting that the law is a tool for liberation, not limitation.”

    The award honors U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who epitomized individual commitment, in word and action, to the cause of civil rights in this country. The award recognizes similar long-term contributions by other members of the legal profession to the advancement of civil rights, social justice and human rights in the United States. Marshall was the first recipient of the award.

    Wiley, a nationally respected civil rights attorney and advocate, has dedicated her career to advancing equity and justice across philanthropy, nonprofits, government and higher education. Her leadership continues to shape the dialogue on racial justice, equity and democracy.

    Wiley was the first Black woman to be counsel to a New York City mayor, having worked with Mayor Bill de Blasio. During her tenure in city government, she helped fuel the expansion of minority/women-owned business enterprise contracts. Following the city government, she worked in academia and was a faculty member and senior vice president for social justice at the New School University. That led to her serving as chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, where she led the release of the “hold” on proceedings against police officer Daniel Pantaleo whose illegal chokehold killed Eric Garner. The CCRB’s administrative prosecution of Pantaleo resulted in his firing. Also, in 2021, Wiley was a candidate for New York City mayor.

    As a Henry Cohen professor of public and urban policy at the New School, Wiley founded the Digital Equity Laboratory on universal and inclusive broadband. She also served as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.

    Having worked at the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund Inc., early in her career, Wiley focused on racial justice issues. She has been a litigator at the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. She also helped create a criminal justice program for a major foundation in South Africa. Wiley co-founded and led a national policy advocacy organization, the Center for Social Inclusion, now a part of Race Forward, a national policy strategy organization working to end structural racism. She has received numerous awards and has been a public voice for rights, justice and democracy. Wiley is the author of the memoir, “Remember You Are a Wiley.”

    A graduate of Dartmouth College, Wiley earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School.

    Durham added, “Maya’s fearless advocacy and principled leadership remind us that justice is not a destination, but a journey we must walk together — boldly, urgently and with heart. Like Justice Marshall, she channels the law into purposeful action, moving us closer to the promise of a more just and equitable future.”

    The ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice provides leadership within the legal profession in protecting and advancing human rights, civil liberties and social justice. Representing nearly 10,000 members with a wide range of professional interests and expertise, the section keeps its members abreast of complex civil rights and social justice issues and ensures that they remain a focus of law and policy.

    For more information about the event or for media registration, contact Betsy Adeboyejo at [email protected]. To learn more about past awardees, click here.

    The ABA is one of the largest voluntary associations of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on X (formerlyTwitter) @ABANews.