Daniel Ellsberg, one of the nation’s foremost political activists and whistleblowers, was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Massachusetts Amherst in a special ceremony held Saturday evening in the Bay Area, where Ellsberg resides.
Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy lauded Ellsberg’s devotion to public service, saying, “We honor you for a lifetime of truth-telling that demonstrates how dissent can be the highest form of patriotism and citizenship. We thank you for inspiring others to follow your example.”
Following a decade as a high-level government official, researcher and consultant, Ellsberg distributed the top-secret Pentagon Papers in 1971, exposing decades of deceit by American policymakers during the Vietnam War. Since the end of the war, Ellsberg has been a lecturer, scholar, writer and activist on the dangers of the nuclear era, wrongful U.S. interventions and the urgent need for patriotic whistleblowing. Ellsberg has been deeply engaged with UMass Amherst since 2019 when, impressed by the university’s longstanding commitment to social justice, he chose to make it the home for his papers.
The ceremony, held in a special events space at EPIC Steak in San Francisco, was attended by family, friends and dignitaries. The ceremony included an academic processional and remarks by Chancellor Subbaswamy; UMass President Marty Meehan; Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California; Former California Gov. Jerry Brown (video); Barbara Krauthamer, dean of the UMass College...
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