King County Councilmember Larry Gossett’s life-long commitment to the cause of equity and social justice was recently recognized by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), who presented Gossett the organization’s Gloria Hobson Nordin Social Equity Award.
The award was presented to Gossett during the ASPA’s 2016 National
Conference held at the Westin Hotel. ASPA recognized Gossett’s commitment to social justice from his days as one of the original founders of the University of Washington’s Black Student Union and his continuing work as an advocate “for the underrepresented and the underprivileged in King County.”
Gossett was also recognized for his work on the campaign that help change the King County logo to the image of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Gloria Hobson Nordin award honors a public administrator for distinguished contributions toward achieving fairness, justice and equity in governance. It was named in honor of Nordin, a long-time member of the ASPA, who served as both a supervisor and program director for fair housing with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nordin was also a plaintiff in the landmark case (Smith v. Alder) which redefined housing discrimination law.
