2025 Eugene V. Debs Award Banquet

The officers and directors of the Eugene V. Debs Foundation are pleased to announce that on Saturday, October 25, 2025, the Debs Award will be presented to Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sen. Sanders is serving his fourth term in the U.S. Senate after winning re-election in 2024. His previous 16 years in the House of Representatives make him the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history. A longtime Debs supporter, Senator Sanders produced one of the first documentaries on Debs. He has consistently mentioned Eugene Debs as one of his political heroes, along with Dr. Reverand Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Frankin Delano Roosevelt, all “standing with working families.”

Born on Sept 8, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York, Sen. Sanders has been one of the most influential voices for economic and social justice in America. Throughout his decades long career, Senator Sanders has embodied the spirit and conviction of Eugene V. Debs, championing the rights of working people, challenging corporate power, and envisioning a more equitable and democratic society. He has consistently fought for universal health care, a living wage, tuition-free college, and stronger labor protections. Like Debs, his groundbreaking presidential campaigns brought democratic socialism into mainstream politics.

The Award Banquet will take place in Terre Haute, Indiana, the birthplace and lifelong home of Gene Debs and his home now is an outstanding museum of trade union and socialist memorabilia. For information of the events planned for the weekend please go to our website: debsfoundation.org.

Host or Publisher Eugene V. Debs Foundation