Community Corner
Horlick Teacher Says 'No' to Getting Award from Paul Ryan
Selected as a recipient of an annual Humanitarian Award in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Al Levie would not accept the award from Congressman Paul Ryan because of Ryan's stance on certain issues.
Being chosen to receive an award because of your dedication to your community is usually a time for celebreation. But Al Levie, a Horlick High School teacher, on Jan. 16 decided to turn away from part of his Humanitarian Award because of who was presenting it to him.
Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) was at the ceremony to award his own Congressional Certificate of Recognition to . The event took place at the Kenosha campus of Gateway Technical College in honor of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. While Levie can be seen in the video holding his Humanitarian Award, when Ryan tries to hand Levie the Congressional Certificate, he turns away and speaks to the crowd.
What he says isn't audible, but after the ceremony, Levie is on video as saying he couldn't in good conscience take the certificate from Ryan because Ryan "is a lackey for the 1 percent." More, he said it felt hypocritical to have Ryan there because while King fought for adequate healthcare for all, Ryan votes to slash healthcare.
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More, Levie said King was on the side of working people, but Ryan has no connection with the working class. Finally, Levie states that for Ryan to come to an event that honors someone of King's stature is just wrong.
What do you think of Levie's actions?
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