Past Honors, Awards, and Achievements
Patrisse has been shaking up the national dialogue about human rights for nearly a decade. And people take notice.
Take a look below at a timeline of her awards and recognitions from multiple organizations and publications honoring her for her influential efforts.

Time Magazine
100 Women of the Year
2020
2020
Awards & Achievements
- 100 Most Influential People, TIME
- 100 Women of the Year, Time
- Art Matters Fellowship, Art Matters
- LA Emerging Artist, Rema Hort Mann Foundation
- Ralph Bunche Humanitarian Award, UCLA Black Alumni Association
- Turpanjian Visiting Activist Researchers (VAR), USC Program for Environmental and RegionalEquity (PERE)
- Activism in the Pursuit of Peace and Justice Award, presented to Patrisse and Black Lives Matter by the Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains
- Law and Policy Award for Public Service & Social Justice, Loyola Law School Center for Juvenile
- ADCOLOR Beacon Award, Black Lives Matter
- Global Citizen Team Award, show honoring the BLM co-founders
- Prism Fellowship
- The Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) is a 501(c)(3) national non-profit organization that was founded in 1968 to expand opportunities for minority and low-income students to attend law school. Since its inception, more than 25,000 students have participated in CLEO’s programs and joined the legal profession. CLEO is seeking to have Ms. Patrisse Cullors join with Attorney Stacey Abrams as one of this year’s honorees on Thursday, November 12th @ 6:00pm. The program will be completely virtual.
2019
Awards & Achievements
- Honoree, National Action Network’s Triumph Awards
- Best Books of 2019, Library Journal
2018
Awards & Achievements
- Women Making History Honoree, The National Women’s History Museum
- 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, Women’s eNews
- Roger Baldwin Award Honoree, ACLU of Massachusetts
- José Muñoz Award, The Graduate Center, CUNY
- Lifetime Achievement Award, The African American Community of Pacoima
- The Etheridge Award, West Hollywood City Council Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board
- Chora Prize Recipient
- Redefining Justice Award, Just Leadership USA
- The Instant New York Times Bestseller, New York Times
- New York Times Editor’s Pick, New York Times
- Best Memoirs of 2018 So Far, TIME Magazine
- 10 Titles to Pick Up Now, Oprah Magazine
- Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award, Politics and Current Events
- Best Books in 2018, The Root
2017
Awards & Achievements
- Black Community Honors, California State University – Los Angeles
- The Root 100, The Root
- Samuel S. Beard Award for Outstanding Public Service 35 Years or Younger, Jefferson Awards Foundation
- We Are EMILY Award, EMILY’s List
2016
Awards & Achievements
- Ambassador for Health Equity Fellowship, PolicyLink and FSG
- World’s Greatest Leader, FORTUNE
- Honorary Doctorate, Clarkson University
- Disruptive Advocate Award, The Greenlining Institute
- The 2016 GOOD 100, GOOD Worldwide Inc
- Chicago High School Honorary Medical Doctorate Chicago, ILL South Shore International College Preparatory High School
- Justice Award, National Center for Lesbian Rights
- Leading Edge Fund Fellow, The Rosenberg Foundation
- Kick-Ass Woman of Color, DLG Media
- Revolution Award for Freedom, ImageNation Cinema Foundation
- Defender of the Dream Award, AFL-CIO Executive Council Committee on Civil and Human Rights
- 40 Under 40, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
- 8 Activists Who Demand The World Knows That Black Lives Matter, The Huffington Post
- 20 Inspiring Women Making the World a Better Place for Us All, SheKnows
2015
Awards & Achievements
- Racial Justice Grant, Google
- Civil Rights Leader for the 21st Century, Los Angeles Times
- 10 Most Inspirational L.A. Women of 2015, Los Angeles Magazine
- Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer Risk Taker Award, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
- Edna Award, The Berger-Marks Foundation
- Honoree, The New York Women’s Foundation
- 40 Under 40, The Advocate
- AfroAmerica Network Black Woman of the Year, AfroAmerica Network
- Black Woman of the Year, The National Congress of Black Women
- Politico 50, Politico Magazine
- NAACP History Maker, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- Person of the Year Finalist, The Advocate
- Empress I Jose Sarria Award for Uncommon Leadership, The National LGBTQ Task Force Louis E. Burnham Award, Louis E. Burnham Award Fund
2014 - 2008
Awards & Achievements
- 14 Women of Color Who Rocked 2014, AlterNet (2014)
- Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership Fellow, Kalamazoo College (2014)
- Contribution to Oversight Award, National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (2014)
- Fulbright Scholarship, United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (2011)
- Sydney Goldfarb Outstanding Student Award, Santa Monica College (2008)
- The Mario Savio Young Activist Award, Mario Savio Memorial Lecture (2007)