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Awards Winners

Trumpeter Awardees Florence Kelley Awardees

A complete list of the exceptional leaders we’ve honored. Their distinguished records show them to be stalwart advocates for consumer and worker rights.

2024
Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Anna Werner, Senior Consumer Investigative Correspondent for CBS News

2023
Kathleen Sebelius, Former Secretary of Health and Human Services
former Governor of Kansas
Rob Bonta, Attorney General of the State of California

2022
Dr. Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., National Institutes of Health
Secretary Xavier Becerra, Department of Health and Human Services

2021
Rohit Chopra, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Attorney General Dana Nessel

2020
Vicky Nguyen, NBC News
Jessica Rosenworcel, FCC Commissioner

2019
Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO

2018
Senator Tammy Duckworth
Senator Ed Markey

2017
Congressman John Lewis
CFPB Director Richard Cordray

2016
Attorney General Lisa Madigan

2015
The Honorable Edith Ramirez, FTC
Senator Amy Klobuchar

2014
Richard L. Trumka, President AFL-CIO

2013
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn (pictured at right)
Special honors: Consumer and Labor Leadership Awards to Senators Tom Harkin and Jay Rockefeller

2012
Cecil E. Roberts, United Mine Workers of America

2011
FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg
Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers

2010
Kenneth Feinberg
Surgeon General Regina Benjamin

2009
Steve Kroft
Hilda Solis

2008
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal
Barbara Ehrenreich

2007
Linda Golodner

2006
Senator Paul Sarbanes
Herb Weisbaum

2005
Jane Bryant Quinn
Deborah Kaplan

2004
Morton Bahr
Judy Feder

2003
Senator Jon Corzine
Congressman Tom Lantos

2002
Senator Carl Levin
Michelle Singletary

2001
Linda Chavez-Thompson
Senator Paul Wellstone

2000
Joan Z. (Jodie) Bernstein
Congressman David E. Bonior
Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher

1999
Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman
“Frontline”

1998
Myrlie Evers-Williams
Broad Meadows Middle School, Quincy, MA

1997
Liz Claiborne, Inc.
Carol Tucker Foreman

1996
Secretary of Labor Robert Reich

1995
Minnesota Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III
New York City District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau
Chairman Kailash Satyarthi, South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude
Special Recognition:  Meredith M. Layer, former Senior Vice President for Public Responsibility, American Express Company

1994
FDA Commissioner David Kessler
Bert Seidman

1993
Senator Tom Harkin
Dolores Huerta

1992
Senator Jay Rockefeller
Charlayne Hunter-Gault

1991
Dr. Arnold S. Relman
Jack Blum

1990
Congressman Don Pease
Lynn Williams
Special Recognition: Bonnie Guiton

1989
Susan King
Congressman George Miller

1988
Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder
Congressman Peter Rodino
Special Recognition:  Susanne Zwemer

1987
Arthur Flemming
Marian Wright Edelman

1986
Congressman Gus Hawkins
Senator Charles Mathias

1985
Betty Furness
Sarah Newman
Congressman Henry Waxman
Qazi Shaukat Fareed

1984
Douglas Fraser

1983
Ig Falk
Special Recognition:  Jane Brody, Penny Wise Budoff, Rose Kushner, Fitzhugh Mullan, Natalie Spingarn

1982
Congressman Claude Pepper

1981
Esther Peterson

1980
Lady Bird Johnson (posthumously for President Johnson)
W. Averell Harriman

1979
Jacob Clayman
Robert Nathan

1978
Senator Harrison A. Williams
Caroline Ware

1977
Senator Warren Magnuson
Evelyn Dubrow

1976
Senator Philip A. Hart
Congresswoman Leonor K. Sullivan
Maida Springer Kemp

1975
Senator Alan Cranston
Senator Charles Percy
Special Recognition:  Clara Beyer, Edith Sloan, Virginia Knauer, Bess Myerson

1973
Senator Edward Kennedy

The Florence Kelley Consumer Leadership Award

Named for NCL’s first general secretary and Progressive Era pioneer, Florence Kelley, the consumer leadership award is given to individuals, who in the spirit of NCL’s early leader, at a grass-roots level, have willingly given of their time, passion, and energy to important causes that may not be popular. Florence Kelley Consumer Leadership Award recipients are honored for their commitment to social justice for consumers and workers, their vision, their activism, and their dedication.

In the spirit of NCL’s first general secretary and Progressive Era pioneer Florence Kelley, the Consumer Leadership Award is given to individuals, who at the grassroots level willingly give of their time, passion, and energy to important causes that may not be popular. The Florence Kelley Consumer Leadership Award recipients are honored for their commitment to social justice for consumers and workers, and for their vision, activism, and dedication.

Past Recipients

2024   Saru Jayaraman
2023   Fraidy Reiss
2022   Mary M. Cheh
2021    April Verrett
2020   Karl Racine
2019    Bonnie Patten
2018    Eva Casey-Velasquez
2017    Dr. Janet Woodcock
2016    Dr. Richard Pan, Karen Peltz Strauss
2015    Maria Elena Durazo
2014    Lara Granich
2013    Dana Wiggins
2012    Linda Hilton
2011    Paheadra Robinson
2010    Jean Ann Fox
2009    Lynn Jiminez
2006    Pastor Herrera, Jr.
2005    James B. Leonard, Claire White
2004    Brandolyn Clanton Pinkston
2003    Mary Gardiner Jones, Jane Delgado
2002    Florence Rice
2001    Ken McEldowney
2000   Jack Blum
1999    Evelyn Dubrow
1998    Rosella Bannister
1997    Esther Shapiro
1996    Ruth Jordan
1995    Erma Angevine

  • Our Impact

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    Read about NCL’s impact

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  • Building a stronger generation

    A grease fire flared up in Decklan’s kitchen. As his family scrambled and panicked, fearing that the whole house might erupt in flames, Decklan remained calm. He hurried over to the pantry, grabbed some baking soda, and dumped it on the fire quickly extinguishing the blaze.

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  • Script Your Future saved my life

    Cincinnati resident Charles, 45, lost his computer business — and health insurance— during a time of economic downturn. A diabetic, Charles was now unable to afford his medication. He stopped taking it which made him seriously ill and put his life at risk.

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  • For a safer workplace

    Jeremy is a fast-food worker who has been employed at a number of Chipotle restaurants in New York City. When he was just 20 years old, he took part in an NCL research project that revealed that management practices within the fast food chain were putting workers—and food safety for customers—at risk.

    Read about NCL’s impact

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PBPA Commends HHS Funding to Support Maternal and Infant Health

The Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance (PBPA), a coalition of maternal and women’s health advocates dedicated to improving preterm birth outcomes in the United States and addressing its disproportionate impact on women of color, applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for awarding nearly $350 million to states across the country to improve support for safe pregnancies and healthy babies.

“For far too long, U.S. maternal health care has lagged behind that of other developed countries, particularly for women of color,” noted Sally Greenberg, Executive Director of the National Consumers League. “This additional funding will enable local health departments and nonprofits to better address the health care needs of the most vulnerable mothers and their babies.”

The funding, awarded by HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will support home visiting services, increase access to doulas, address infant mortality and maternal illness, and improve data reporting on maternal mortality.

“Maternal health care in the U.S. has consistently failed women of color,” Greenberg continued.  “We applaud HHS for this additional funding that will help to improve the maternal health for all mothers and babies, especially women of color and those most at-risk.”

The funding announcement follows the release of a report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights which found that Native American women are more than two times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women in the U.S. This disparity was further exacerbated for Black women in the U.S., who are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.

“In addition to expanding programs to support maternal health, we must increase representation from racially and ethnically diverse groups in research and clinical trials, particularly those studying treatment options to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality,” said Greenberg.  “The need for the additional HHS funding and the report from the Commission on Civil Rights clearly illustrate how critical representative research and real world evidence are to ensuring all mothers and their babies have the same opportunity for the best possible health outcomes.”

Diverse research for a diverse America: The value of equitable, real-world research

August 12, 2021/in Blog, Health, Prevention Blog Post

By Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director

While the COVID-19 pandemic has led to hardship for all Americans, it is clear that people of color have been disproportionately burdened. Across the health care continuum, addressing this disparity has become part of the broader conversation about the history of systemic racism and the underlying social determinants of health that negatively affect the mental, physical, and economic health of individuals and entire communities.

The pandemic has underscored persistent health disparities, and there is growing recognition that representation in research and clinical trials can have a profound impact on health outcomes. A lack of representation from racially and ethnically diverse groups in research and clinical trials have typically led to gaps in data, missing the opportunity to assess the full impact of various treatments and drugs across a range of populations. The collection and use of real-world research and data to inform the potential use, risks, and benefits of medical products and treatments can ultimately lead to better health outcomes, particularly for those who have been underrepresented in the past.

Existing efforts to improve inclusion

Efforts to expand diversity and representation in medical research are underway in Congress. Policymakers are encouraging the incorporation of Real World Evidence (RWE) in drug development through the recent Cures 2.0 draft legislation released by Reps. Diana Degette (D-CO-1) and Fred Upton (D-MI-6). While the status quo limits us from effectively reaching underserved populations, the proposed legislation would allow studies that include RWE for some drugs after they have been approved. At the heart of this issue is a growing appreciation that the same therapy can affect different populations in different ways, which is why Cures 2.0 supports collecting data that more accurately reflects the unique experiences and needs of patients across diverse populations.

Recognizing the potential for RWE in maternal health

The lack of representative research in the field of maternal health is undeniable, and its implications are staggering. The dismal state of maternal care in the United States reflects how our health care system has failed women of color, including by not adequately studying treatment options to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality. The need for RWE is clear when you consider the persistent disparities in health outcomes that plague minority communities.

Preterm birth and its disproportionate impact on women of color is a stark illustration of the need to make progress on representative research in maternal health. Preterm birth is the second-largest contributor to infant death in America today. Despite the tremendous physical, emotional, and financial toll that preterm birth continues to take on our country — disproportionately so on women and families of color — not enough therapeutic tools currently exist to prevent it.

Today, “17P,” the only FDA-approved treatment to help reduce the likelihood of spontaneous, recurrent preterm birth in the United States is at-risk of being withdrawn from the market in all its forms, including the branded product and five generic versions. Unfortunately there is conflicting evidence from two different clinical trials, one representative of a diverse U.S. population and another studied in a largely white population in Europe. It’s not a straightforward comparison. If 17P is withdrawn, the women most affected by preterm birth, predominantly women of color, would be left without an FDA-approved treatment option.

The FDA is considering the path forward, including additional data collection through leveraging RWE from past patient use. The success of the first (approval) trial for 17P in the impacted communities signals the importance of RWE. Continued access to 17P is, at its core, a matter of health equity. Black women must not yet again be left vulnerable to a system that historically has overlooked them.

PRETERM BIRTH PREVENTION ALLIANCE APPLAUDS FDA’S GRANTING OF HEARING FOR THE ONLY FDA-APPROVED THERAPIES TO REDUCE RECURRENT PRETERM BIRTH

WASHINGTON, DC, August 26, 2021 –

Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance a coalition of maternal and women’s health advocates dedicated to improving preterm birth outcomes in the United States and addressing its disproportionate impact on women of color, commends the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for granting a public hearing to discuss 17P, the only FDA-approved class of branded and generic treatments to reduce preterm birth in indicated patients.

We appreciate the FDA’s willingness to hear directly from individuals facing prematurity and the providers who treat them about their experiences with 17P,” said National Consumer League’s Executive Director Sally Greenberg. “It is an important step towards better understanding variations in efficacy across diverse populations and ensuring all women have an equal chance at the best possible outcomes.”

Last week, the FDA agreed to grant Covis Pharma, the manufacturer of the branded 17P product Makena its request for a public hearing to discuss 17P. Hydroxyprogesterone caproate—or “17P”—has been approved since 2011 and is the only FDA-approved class of treatments to help prevent spontaneous, recurrent preterm birth in the United States. In 2020, the FDA proposed withdrawing 17P in all its forms, including the branded product and its five generic versions, based on conflicting efficacy data from two studies composed of vastly different populations, one predominantly inclusive of women in the U.S. most vulnerable to preterm birth and one not.

“Mothers and birthing people deserve access to the best possible treatments to prevent preterm birth. We cannot achieve birth equity if we study pregnant women as a monolith,” said Blythe Thomas, Initiative Director of 1,000 Days. “It is only by systematically researching the real-world, post-market impact of 17P on individuals from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, while maintaining access for all affected, that we can reduce disparities in maternal and infant health.”

While the hearing date has not yet been set, the Alliance looks forward to sharing the perspectives of affected individuals and their physicians with the agency once the hearing is scheduled and will continue to advocate for at-risk moms and babies of all races and ethnicities.

###

ABOUT THE PRETERM BIRTH PREVENTION ALLIANCE

The Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance (PBPA) is a coalition of maternal and women’s health advocates who share a common concern about the state of preterm birth in the United States and the proposed market withdrawal of 17P, the only FDA-approved class of treatments to help prevent spontaneous, recurrent preterm birth. Formed in 2021 by the National Consumers League, the 15 partners in the PBPA seek to improve preterm birth outcomes in the United States by maintaining access to safe, FDA-approved treatment options and advocating for more diverse medical research that adequately represents the experiences of women and newborns of color. Women of color need a seat at the table. To learn more, visit www.pretermbirthalliance.org

LEADING PATIENT ADVOCATES LAUNCH PRETERM BIRTH PREVENTION ALLIANCE TO PROTECT CRITICAL ACCESS TO THE SOLE FDA-APPROVED CLASS OF THERAPIES TO REDUCE RECURRENT PRETERM BIRTH

WASHINGTON, DC, April 20, 2021 – Today, the National Consumers League (NCL), along with a coalition of patient advocacy organizations dedicated to advancing the health of mothers and infants, announced the launch of the >Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance.

Members of the Alliance are joining forces in an effort to preserve patient access to the only Food & Drug Administration-approved class of treatments for pregnant women who have previously had an unexpected, or spontaneous, preterm birth. Together, Alliance members seek to ensure that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) hears concerns from the full range of stakeholders about the potential risks and impact of withdrawal for at-risk pregnant women and their providers.

For the fifth year in a row, the U.S. preterm birth rate has increased (to 10.2 percent of births), and preterm birth and its complications were the second largest contributor to infant death across the country. Preterm birth also represents a significant racial health disparity, with Black women in America experiencing premature delivery at a rate 50 percent higher than other racial groups throughout the country.

However, in 2020, the FDA >proposed withdrawing hydroxyprogesterone caproate, commonly called “17P” or “17-OHPC”, the only FDA-approved class of branded and generic treatments to help prevent the risk of preterm birth in women with a history of spontaneous preterm birth. The FDA is currently determining whether to hold a hearing on the status of 17P, based on conflicting efficacy data from two studies composed of vastly different patient populations, one inclusive of women in the U.S. most vulnerable to preterm birth and one not.

“We’re fighting for a more inclusive healthcare system that gives everyone an equal chance to have the best outcomes possible,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League. “We don’t believe that removing 17P from the market without gaining a better understanding of who could benefit the most from its use is in the best interests of patients, nor their healthcare providers, particularly as there are no other approved treatment options available.”

To date, 14 organizations have joined NCL to advocate for the health interests of at-risk pregnant women and infants, including: 1,000 Days; 2020 Mom; American Association of Birth Centers; Black Mamas Matter Alliance; Black Women’s Health Imperative; Expecting Health; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Montana; HealthyWomen; Miracle Babies; National Birth Equity Collaborative; National Black Midwives Alliance; National Partnership for Women & Families; Sidelines High-Risk National Support Network; and SisterReach.

“As a trained obstetrician and gynecologist, I know firsthand the impact of preterm birth on Black women and birthing people. I also know that racism – not race – is the driving factor leading the disproportionate impact of preterm birth on Black women and birthing people thereby exacerbating systemic inequities in maternal and infant health. To achieve birth equity, which is the assurance of the conditions of optimal births for all people with a willingness to address racial and social inequities in a sustained effort, we must work to protect and uphold a standard of care for spontaneous, recurrent preterm births and ensure it remains accessible and affordable for all who stand in need,” added Dr. Joia Crear Perry, founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative.

The Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance is calling for the FDA to grant a public hearing to fully consider all of the data, additional research methods, and stakeholder perspectives before deciding whether to withdraw approval of this critical class of therapies. The health of America’s moms and babies warrants the utmost care and consideration.

###

ABOUT THE PRETERM BIRTH PREVENTION ALLIANCE

The Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance is a coalition of maternal and women’s health advocates who share a common concern about the state of preterm birth in the United States and the proposed market withdrawal of 17P, the only FDA-approved class of treatments to help prevent spontaneous, recurrent preterm birth. Formed in 2021 by the National Consumers League, we seek to improve preterm birth outcomes in the United States by maintaining access to safe, FDA-approved treatment options and advocating for more diverse medical research that adequately represents the experiences of women and newborns of color. Women of color need a seat at the table. To learn more, visit www.pretermbirthalliance.org.

Initial support for the Preterm Birth Prevention Alliance is provided by Covis Pharma.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org

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