Mary Morello
Encyclopedia
Mary Morello founded in 1987 the anti-censorship
group Parents For Rock And Rap
. She is sometimes referred to as Tipper Gore
's nemesis in the 1980s battle over music censorship.
in Germany
, Spain
and Japan
, circling the globe on a freighter
.
From 1960-63, she lived in Kenya
, where she married her husband Ngethe Njoroge
, a Kenyan revolutionary who later was the first Kenyan delegate to the United Nations
. He was a guerrilla in the Mau Mau uprising (1950–1960) that arguably led to Kenya's independence from British rule.
In the 1960s, Morello was involved in the Civil Rights Movement
and NAACP. She is also a long time activist for the Chicago Urban League
.
In 1964, she and her husband moved to Harlem
, New York, where she gave birth to son Tom Morello
.
After her divorce when Tom was one year old, she and her son moved to Libertyville, Illinois
, a small suburb north of Chicago in 1965. She took a job at Libertyville High School teaching social studies and US history. In 1987, she quit her teaching job after 22 years, and founded Parents For Rock And Rap
an anticensorship counterweight to Tipper Gore
's PMRC.
She made three trips to the Soviet Union
, through Siberia
and Mongolia
.
In 1991, she and many others battled against legislation being proposed in Congress
titled Pornography Victims Compensation Act
, numbered S. 983, or, later, S. 1521. The legislation was not enacted, because of grass-roots anti-censorship activism. On June 24, 1996 she received the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award
in Arts and Entertainment for her work with Parents For Rock And Rap
.
In the fall of 1991, she began a volunteer teaching job at the Salvation Army
Rehabilitation Center in Waukegan, Illinois
, where she taught adult literacy. She has also been involved in the Cuba Coalition in Chicago, which works toward lifting the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
In a Rage Against the Machine concert in 1994, she introduced them as the "Best Band in the Fucking Universe". For the Rage Against The Machine reunion, she did this memorable appearance once again, on August, 24th 2007.
She is also known for her involvement in the 1999 debate on the incarceration of death row
inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal
, convicted (some believe wrongly) of the 1982 shooting of a Philadelphia
police officer
. In an editorial she said:
In 2007 she had a podcast together with Cindy Sheehan
called The Mary Morello and Cindy Sheehan Show.
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
group Parents For Rock And Rap
Parents for Rock and Rap
Parents For Rock And Rap, founded in 1987 by Mary Morello is an anti-censorship campaign which focuses on campaigning for the importance of free speech in popular music. For the work that Mary Morello put in to this, she won a Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in 1996...
. She is sometimes referred to as Tipper Gore
Tipper Gore
Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore , née Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States, and the estranged wife of Al Gore...
's nemesis in the 1980s battle over music censorship.
Biography
In 1954 she earned a masters degree in African and Latin American history from Chicago's Loyola University. She spent the rest of the decade teaching EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, circling the globe on a freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
.
From 1960-63, she lived in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, where she married her husband Ngethe Njoroge
Ngethe Njoroge
Stephen Ngethe Njoroge was the first ambassador from Kenya to the United Nations. He is the father of Tom Morello and the ex-husband of Parents for Rock and Rap founder Mary Morello. Njoroge was a Mau Mau guerilla. His uncle, Jomo Kenyatta, was the first elected president in Kenya.- References :...
, a Kenyan revolutionary who later was the first Kenyan delegate to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. He was a guerrilla in the Mau Mau uprising (1950–1960) that arguably led to Kenya's independence from British rule.
In the 1960s, Morello was involved in the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
and NAACP. She is also a long time activist for the Chicago Urban League
Chicago Urban League
Chicago Urban League, Established in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, is an affiliate of the National Urban League that develops programs and partnerships and engages in advocacy to address the need for employment, entrepreneurship, affordable commercial real estate and a quality education...
.
In 1964, she and her husband moved to Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York, where she gave birth to son Tom Morello
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
.
After her divorce when Tom was one year old, she and her son moved to Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville is an affluent northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2000 census population was 20,742; the 2005 estimate was 21,760...
, a small suburb north of Chicago in 1965. She took a job at Libertyville High School teaching social studies and US history. In 1987, she quit her teaching job after 22 years, and founded Parents For Rock And Rap
Parents for Rock and Rap
Parents For Rock And Rap, founded in 1987 by Mary Morello is an anti-censorship campaign which focuses on campaigning for the importance of free speech in popular music. For the work that Mary Morello put in to this, she won a Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in 1996...
an anticensorship counterweight to Tipper Gore
Tipper Gore
Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore , née Aitcheson, is an author, photographer, former second lady of the United States, and the estranged wife of Al Gore...
's PMRC.
She made three trips to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, through Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
.
In 1991, she and many others battled against legislation being proposed in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
titled Pornography Victims Compensation Act
Pornography Victims Compensation Act
The Pornography Victims' Compensation Act of 1991 was a bill, S. 983, in the U.S. Congress. The sponsor in the Senate was Senator Mitch McConnell with eight cosponsors. A Senate committee held hearings on the bill...
, numbered S. 983, or, later, S. 1521. The legislation was not enacted, because of grass-roots anti-censorship activism. On June 24, 1996 she received the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award
Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award
The Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards are given to people who a panel of judges believes have made significant contributions to the protection and enhancement of the rights enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution...
in Arts and Entertainment for her work with Parents For Rock And Rap
Parents for Rock and Rap
Parents For Rock And Rap, founded in 1987 by Mary Morello is an anti-censorship campaign which focuses on campaigning for the importance of free speech in popular music. For the work that Mary Morello put in to this, she won a Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in 1996...
.
In the fall of 1991, she began a volunteer teaching job at the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
Rehabilitation Center in Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...
, where she taught adult literacy. She has also been involved in the Cuba Coalition in Chicago, which works toward lifting the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
In a Rage Against the Machine concert in 1994, she introduced them as the "Best Band in the Fucking Universe". For the Rage Against The Machine reunion, she did this memorable appearance once again, on August, 24th 2007.
She is also known for her involvement in the 1999 debate on the incarceration of death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
, convicted (some believe wrongly) of the 1982 shooting of a Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
. In an editorial she said:
In 2007 she had a podcast together with Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...
called The Mary Morello and Cindy Sheehan Show.