Nearly 400 friends and supporters of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs gathered September 17 to honor the recipients of its annual Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Awards.
The Public Leadership Awards are given annually to recognize excellence in public service as a tribute to the legacy of the School’s namesake, Hubert H. Humphrey.
Dignitaries from politics, higher education, business and the nonprofit sector were in attendance to recognize this year’s awardees: Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey III, former attorney general; the Carter Family, including Melvin Carter Jr., Toni Carter, Melvin Carter III (’11 MPP) and Dr. Sakeena Futrell-Carter; Norman Ornstein, political scientist and scholar; and the Civic Spirit of Minnesota, honoring Minnesotans who showed up for their neighbors when it mattered most.
“Public leadership begins with people,” said Humphrey School Dean Nisha Botchwey as she welcomed the attendees. “It begins with you. It begins with a decision to listen, to take responsibility, to work across difference, and to keep showing up for one another.”
“We gather tonight to recognize people — people who have made that decision again and again,” Botchwey added. “Their work is especially important at a time when trust is strained, our public institutions are being tested, and many of the challenges facing our communities can feel larger than our individual ability to solve them. Tonight’s honorees remind us that progress is possible.”
The honorees' paths to public service looked very different: a longtime attorney general, a family rooted in St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood, a national scholar of American democracy and a coalition of Minnesotans who answered a call for help. But one after another, they arrived at the same conclusion. Leadership, they said, is something people do together. Some of it happens on a public stage. Much more happens quietly, in kitchens, classrooms, and community centers, far from any spotlight.
One student who benefited from Humphrey School scholarships, Tuvya Bergson-Michelson, is a second-year master of public policy student with a focus on advanced public policy analysis methods. He is also the MPP representative of the Public Affairs Student Association at the Humphrey School.
Bergson-Michelson described how the Twin Cities took him by surprise the first time he visited as a high school student.
“I suppose I expected a culture of solitude in a desolate north. Instead, I saw signs of collaboration on seemingly every block,” he said. “Unexpectedly, I had a tangible mental image for what community could look like in action.”
Bergson-Michelson recalled spending his undergraduate career in pursuit of this image, wanting to “understand what made a neighborhood tick.”
He was continuously reminded of Minnesota’s exceptional reputation in voter turnout, volunteerism and nonprofit donations. The deep tradition of civic participation in Minnesota is why he chose the Humphrey School.
Bergson-Michelson asked the audience to continue to help maintain this tradition and tend to one of their many communities: the Humphrey School.
The awardees
Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey is a lifelong public servant and champion of Minnesotans’ health, safety and consumer protection. As Minnesota attorney general for 16 years, he led public health victories, empowered informed communities and protected older adults from exploitation.
The son of our School’s namesake, Humphrey has carried forward a legacy of principled service that continues to shape Minnesota’s well-being and civic leadership.
Watch a video profile of Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey
Humphrey spoke about the importance of people working together to make progress happen.
“Whatever I’ve done, it’s been because of the people that I’ve worked with, the friends that I’ve made,” he said.
He then asked everyone in the room who had worked in the attorney general's office during his tenure to stand. "These are the people," he said as they rose to applause. "These are the folks that made everything happen."
Humphrey reminded the audience that this year's event fell on Constitution Day. Holding up a pocket Constitution, he said, "All too often, we take this thing for granted. I guarantee you today, we better not take it for granted."
“You need leaders, you need people who can speak out, you need people who can be held accountable. But beyond that, you need wonderful people that are going to do the job that helps people get forward with their lives,” he said. “If you want equal justice, if you want fairness, if you want all of what we’ve put together as Americans, it really takes all of us together to do it.”
The Carter Family has engaged in public service rooted in St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood for generations. Melvin Carter Jr. helped integrate the St. Paul Police Department and founded Save Our Sons, Toni Carter was the first African American elected to a county board in Minnesota, Melvin Carter III was the Capital City’s first African American mayor, and Dr. Sakeena Futrell-Carter is a certified nurse-midwife and women’s health advocate.
Watch a video profile of the Carter Family
Toni Carter spoke of the power of community, and the generational process that reaches beyond their family.
“It includes the people to whom we’ve been connected, who've been the source of energy and inspiration, and who are the assisted, too,” she said. “It takes all of us together, and we are blessed to have been a part of a loving and working community that uplifts us all.”
Melvin Carter III added that he was fortunate to grow up with the chance to see service demonstrated by his parents.
“It takes a whole community to do anything amazing,” he said. “We’re blessed to be at the center of an incredible family, and our family is blessed to be at the center of an incredible community.”
Norman Ornstein is a prominent political scientist, longtime scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and Minnesota native.
Ornstein has helped shape national conversations around America’s political institutions and elections with clarity, insight and a deep commitment to democratic values. He established a foundation in honor of his late son Matthew to advocate for mental health initiatives and urban debate programs.
Watch a video profile of Norman Ornstein
He noted the importance of Humphrey and the University of Minnesota in his youth.
“His values and passion for justice were an integral part of my family as I grew up, and when I read about Humphrey speaking at the 1948 Democratic Convention to jeers, catcalls and threats, trying to fight for justice, it taught me something,” he said. “It taught me that a strong moral core meant speaking out and fighting for justice, even if it is dangerous. That not to speak up or act is cowardice. In some ways, it’s a reflection of what this University meant to me.”
Ornstein reinforced his belief in acting for justice, especially when difficult.
“The reality is that every state, every society, has an underbelly in its past or even present of brutality, division, cruelty, violence, sadism,” he said. “It is tragically a part of human existence. But the true measure of a good and decent society is not trying to erase or whitewash that history, banning its books and its history, or denying its continued existence. But confronting it, learning from it, and fighting its reemergence.”
The Civic Spirit of Minnesota honors the Minnesotans who showed up for our neighbors when it mattered most.
We celebrate all those who opened their doors, mobilized resources, met immediate needs, supported families and students and helped protect rights and navigate complex systems. The honorees lead through faith, community, advocacy, mutual aid, legal service and education. They demonstrate the compassion, courage and collective leadership that define the very best of Minnesota.
The Civic Spirit of Minnesota recognized Imam Yusuf Abdulle, Somali American Leadership Table co-founder; Edwin Torres DeSantiago, Immigration Defense Network manager; Natalie Ehret, Haven Watch Foundation founder; Jesse Goldfarb, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter; and Zena Stenvik, Columbia Heights Public Schools superintendent.
Watch a video profile of the Civic Spirit of Minnesota
Awardees acknowledged the important and different roles Minnesotans took on during Operation Metro Surge and credited the power of community.
“When our state faced unprecedented federal presence that sought to create division, fear and distrust among our communities, the people of Minnesota responded differently,” said Abdulle. “People of different races, faiths, backgrounds and political perspectives came together. We stood shoulder to shoulder. Instead of becoming more divided, Minnesota became more caring, more united, more resilient and much stronger.”
The awardees also noted that this work is not over. Many people are still in need of help, and our community is stronger when working together.
“When our communities are tested, we come together. So let this be our call to action. Let us not lose the momentum of that connection,” said Stenvik. “Let us carry forward the relationships, solidarity and collective strength that emerged from this difficult time.”
About the Public Leadership Awards
The Hubert H. Humphrey Public Leadership Awards, presented each year by the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, honor individuals, organizations and corporations that have contributed to the common good through leadership and service.
In addition to recognizing the achievements of distinguished community leaders, the awards gala is the Humphrey School’s signature annual fundraiser. Proceeds from the event support scholarships for our students.
Established by the Humphrey School in 2003, the awards have recognized 88 recipients and have raised more than $2 million for student scholarships.
