2026 Human Rights Award

The City of Norman Human Rights Award

The Human Rights Award is given for exceptional achievement, innovative leadership, outstanding mission, and excellent service to promote human rights and equality in Norman, Oklahoma, and serve as an example to all. Individual or group recipients must have lived in Norman within the three years preceding nomination.

Eligibility Criteria

Chapter 8 of the Municipal Code of the City of Norman states that it is the policy of the City of Norman that the protection of civil rights is a matter of local concern and that in order to ensure public safety, public health, and the general welfare of all citizens of this community, no individual shall be denied equal protection of the laws, nor shall an individual be denied the enjoyment of his or her civil rights or be discriminated against because of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, place of birth, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, or marital status, including marriage to a person of the same sex. All citizens of this community shall have an equal opportunity to purchase, rent, lease, or occupy housing accommodations; to avail themselves of the full enjoyment of public accommodations; to have an equal opportunity in the job market and the social and economic life of the City; and to reach their full potential as human beings without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, place of birth, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, or marital status, including marriage to a person of the same sex.

Areas taken into consideration for the City of Norman Human Rights Award:

Achievement(s) - describe successes/results and describe the impact of these achievement(s) to the Norman community.

Innovative Leadership - illustrate the inspiration or motivation given by the person or group, how cooperation is fostered, list the organizations or programs created, community example set and/or innovations undertaken.

Mission - define the person’s role within the organization or design/process of the initiative including and not limited to: personal risks taken, time expended, sacrifices made and/or years of service.

Service - describe the support system and/or services provided including the timeliness and recurrence of project/service, ability to replicate project/service, and the overall sustainability of project/services.

All nominations must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 16, 2026, to be considered. Please include your name and telephone number as well as the name and telephone number of the nominee. The individual and/or group selected by the Commission will be honored during a City of Norman Council meeting on a date to be determined.

If you have questions about the City of Norman Human Rights Award, please contact Grace Holloman at 405-366-5424 or grace.holloman@normanok.gov.

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  1. INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP BEING NOMINATED:
Nominee Residence: Has the nominee lived in Norman for three years prior to this nomination?

 

2.  ACHIEVEMENTS, INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP, MISSION, AND SERVICE

Achievements: What has this person or group accomplished? Tell us what they have done to advance human rights, equality, or fair treatment in Norman, and what changed because of it. Numbers are welcome if you have them. If you don’t, tell us about specific people or situations. 

Innovative Leadership: How have they led or inspired others?  Have they motivated other people, brought groups together who don’t usually work together, started something new, or set an example others follow? Describe what you have seen.

Mission: What has this work cost them?  Describe their own part in the work and what they have put into it — years, hours, money, risk, or things they gave up. This applies whether they work through an organization or entirely on their own.

Service: What do they provide, and how steadily?  What help or service do they provide, how often, and how long has it been going? Do you expect it to continue? Could others do something similar elsewhere?

3.  PERSON COMPLETING FORM

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