Washington, D.C. - Families USA, the national organization for health care consumers, presented the Rev. Henry Blaze with the Consumer Health Advocate of the Year Award at the annual Families USA Health Action conference.
The award, which has been presented every year since 1998, recognizes outstanding contributions on behalf of our nation's health care consumers. The award was presented to Rev. Blaze for his steadfast opposition to the dismantling of TennCare, Tennessee’s Medicaid program.
“The Rev. Henry Blaze has long personified the best in community advocacy by using his moral authority in the cause of justice for the underprivileged, the underserved, and the underrepresented,” Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, said today. “This award celebrates his righteous activism and his fundamental belief in nonviolence as a means of winning social justice, exemplified by his continued battles on behalf of TennCare disenrollees and the working poor of Tennessee.”
Rev. Blaze’s effort in the area of health coverage is but one aspect of his community activism. As pastor of Progressive Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville, he is dedicated to what is called the "genuine community"—a community that recognizes the humanity and equality of all people.
Rev. Blaze serves on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Justice Center, a nonprofit public interest law and advocacy firm that gives priority to policy issues and civil cases that affect the poor and marginalized communities.
With a commitment to nonviolence, his social activism has included a sit-in against a school zoning plan that threatened working-class black communities, strong public opposition to the death penalty, and advocacy for affordable housing and the rights of welfare recipients.
Rev. Blaze was one of a select group of activists honored with the Tennessee Alliance for Progress' prestigious “Long Haul Award.”
