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# Celebs honor equality activists
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/celebs-honor-equality-activists/
- Published: 2004-04-14T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T04:13:03.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homelessness

*By Daily Press staff*

Liberty Hill Foundation’s annual Upton Sinclair dinner will honor four inspired voices for equality and justice, officials said.

Awards will be presented to lifelong activist and state legislator Tom Hayden, musician Bernice Johnson Reagon, as well as two young leaders — national immigrant rights advocate Angelica Salas and Washington Mutual’s corporate giving vice president, Antonio Manning.

The pre-dinner reception on April 29 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $275 and $500.

In the 1960s, Hayden was a founding member of Students for a Democratic Society, a Freedom Rider and an activist in the civil rights movement. In the 1980s, Hayden began his 20-year tenure in the California Legislature.

Officials said Reagon for four decades has wedded activism and art. She is the founder of the Grammy-winning a capella ensemble “Sweet Honey in the Rock.”

Salas, director of Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, is regarded by some as one of the most gifted young activists and organizers in the country.

While at the coalition, Salas spearheaded several campaigns, including the effort to win in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students and the introduction of job centers for day laborers — a model that’s been replicated across the country.

Manning is the architect of Washington Mutual Bank’s corporate philanthropy program, and he’s also chair of Los Angeles’ Blue Ribbon Committee to end homelessness.

Santa Monica-based Liberty Hill Foundation was established in 1976 by film producer Sarah Pillsbury (“How to Make an American Quilt,” “And the Band Played On,” “Eight Men Out,” “Desperately Seeking Susan”). Pillsbury will be the master of ceremonies, and this year’s co-chairs will include Angelica Houston, Robert Graham, film producer Robert Greenwald and his wife Heidi, and Angel Zapata, vice president of Northern Trust Bank.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 14, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/041404.pdf?ref=smdp.com)