Born: 1 October 1923, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
Mary Morello is an American activist who founded anti-censorship group Parents for Rock and Rap in 1987, which earned her the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award in Arts and Entertainment in 1996. In the 1960s, Morello was involved in the US civil rights movement and the NAACP; she is also a long-time activist for the Chicago Urban League. In 1991, Morello began volunteering with the Salvation Army Rehabilitation Center in Waukegan, Illinois, teaching adult literacy. She was involved in the Cuba Coalition in Chicago, which works toward lifting the U.S. embargo against Cuba. Morello is also known for advocating in 1999 on behalf of death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted (possibly wrongly) of the 1982 shooting of a Philadelphia police officer. His death sentence was overturned by a Federal court in 2001.