AP file photo

Dennis Kucinich

Maverick Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich will receive the 37th annual Thomas Merton Award for work in social justice, the Pittsburgh-based Merton Center has announced.

The Cleveland-born Mr. Kucinich once served as the city's mayor and later moved to Congress, where he has been a consistent voice on the Democratic left, introducing bills for national health care, opposing the North American Free Trade Act and calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

He ran for the party's nomination for president in 2004 and 2008.

The award will be presented the evening of Sunday, Nov. 1, at the center's annual banquet at the Churchill Valley Country Club.

The Merton Center, which is located in Garfield, has organized a car pool for low-income attendees who will receive a discounted rate of $25 for the dinner. Standard rate for the banquet is $45.

The award is named for Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk whose explorations of spirituality and social justice became widely read throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

Ticket information is available by contacting the Thomas Merton Center at 412-361-3022 or visiting the center's Web site at www.thomasmertoncenter.org

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