Wheaton News

“What role are you going to play in creating opportunity?” asked Congressman Gabe Amo ’10 (D–R.I.) “Not just for yourself, but for someone else?”

Amo posed this question to an engaged audience of students, alumni, faculty, staff and local community members after receiving the Wheaton College 2025 Otis Social Justice Award during a ceremony held February 20 in Weber Theatre.

The Otis Social Justice lecture series was established in 1959 through the generosity of Henry Otis, whose children included two Wheaton graduates. Eleanor Roosevelt was among the earliest Otis lecturers in 1962. Today, the Otis fund supports a colloquium in social justice—a forum through which the Wheaton community addresses key contemporary social issues. This aligns with the college’s dedication to values of community, integrity, belonging and service.

The first Otis Social Justice Award was presented in 1990 to former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop. Other recipients include Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund; activist and journalist Gloria Steinem; and voting rights advocate and author Stacey Abrams.

The son of a Ghanaian and Liberian emigrants, Amo grew up in Pawtucket. He has worked in both the Obama and Biden administrations, as well as in the Office of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. In November 2023, after Representative David Cicilline stepped down from his post, Amo won a special election to represent Rhode Island’s First Congressional District and became the first person of color from the state to hold federal office. He was reelected to a full congressional term last November.

Wheaton President Michaele Whelan recognized Amo’s congressional accomplishments, noting that they have “connected communities to critical Federal resources, helping to implement transformative policies, like the American Rescue Plan and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act … His work, rooted in resilience and an unwavering belief in the power of service, is a beacon of inspiration for all of us.”

Amo was presented with a plaque and given a citation which concludes, “We are inspired by your dedication, and grateful for your leadership in moving toward a government and a society that works for and welcomes all.”

Humbled to follow in the footsteps of distinguished past recipients, Amo recognized the impact of his Wheaton education. “In so many ways, when you look at the different parts of my life and story it would not be possible without this institution,” he said.

Amo mentioned some of the Award’s previous recipients and noted that 20 years ago during his acceptance speech as a recipient, the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy questioned incumbent President George W. Bush about the focus he felt that was on the powerful and the wealthy.

 “Millions of working men and women ‘were unable to achieve the American dream. Despite their efforts to work hard and play by the rules,’” Amo cited from Kennedy’s speech, and reasoned that history seems to be repeating itself today.

“There is a deficit of opportunity that ails our nation,” Amo said, considering himself fortunate to have been afforded the chance to “live life abundantly” at Wheaton and embark on his career path to Congress.

Amo asked those in attendance what they can do to address this deficit, suggesting that each individual can play a role through their connections with others. He said, “I do this job because I think there’s something I can find to make somebody’s life better … because, to me, that’s how we arrive at social justice … [by finding] the opportunity to invest ourselves in others.” 

This year’s event was sponsored by the Evelyn Danzig Haas ’39 Visiting Artists Program and the Otis Social Justice Fund.