Let’s Honor the Peacemakers at the 2026 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards!
Since 2007, Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) has presented the annual William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Award to individuals who have made an impact in achieving a more just and peaceful world. Named for the Reverend Dr. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., a believer in the power of civil disobedience to bring social and political change, this annual award recognizes individuals and organizations who have exemplified activism and inspired our community of peacemakers. This year’s awards will be presented on Monday, October 5th at 6pm at a ceremony in New York City. You can still register here to view the ceremony via livestream.
The Rev. Dr. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was an early admirer of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and was arrested as a Freedom Rider in the 1960s. As chaplain at Yale University, Dr. Coffin applied the strategy of civil disobedience to oppose the Vietnam War, counseling students that they were right to resist the draft. He was tried and convicted alongside Dr. Benjamin Spock for conspiracy to encourage draft evasion, but their convictions were later overturned on appeal. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he put activism at the heart of his clerical duties. He became senior minister of Riverside Church in New York in 1977, using his ministry to bring attention to the plight of the poor, to question U.S. military hegemony, and to advocate for nuclear disarmament. After leaving Riverside in 1987, he served as president of SANE/Freeze (now Peace Action) and retired with the title of President Emeritus in the early 1990s. His life and legacy continue to inform and inspire the work of our Peace Action Fund of New York State network.
This year, we look forward to celebrating our honorees and their impact on the movement for peace and justice. We will honor the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) to recognize the leadership role they have played in bringing together the Iranian diaspora in the U.S. and in educating the public about the Iranian-American relationship, key to the work of diplomacy with Iran. Separately, we will honor Mayor Zohran Mamdani (in absentia) for being a prominent voice centering human needs over endless militarism in the national conversation.
At this event, we will also honor the incredible organizing work of the student peace activists of the PAFNYS Campus Organizing Program. We will present the Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Award to Niagara University Peace Action for their leadership and activism in the 2025-2026 school year, and we will present the Holly Maguigan Peace with Justice Award to program alumna, Nino Burjanadze, for being a young leader in the international movement for peace and nuclear disarmament.
The Honorees
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC)
2026 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awardee
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is the largest grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the rights, dignity, and political power of Iranian Americans. Since its founding in 2002, the organization has worked to ensure that the Iranian-American community has a seat at the table to shape the policies that impact their lives, from diplomacy and preventing war and sanctions, to protecting civil rights and the safety of Iranian families. One of NIAC’s core missions is to ensure that public policy decisions reflect a commitment to human rights and peaceful conflict resolution rather than the interests of war lobbies and fear-based politics.
In awarding the 2026 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Award to NIAC, Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) recognizes the leadership role that NIAC has played in bringing together the Iranian diaspora in the United States and in educating the public about the Iranian-American relationship, both of which have been key to the work of diplomacy with Iran. PAFNYS also commends NIAC for its work protecting the civil liberties of Iranian-Americans by mobilizing a legal defense rapid response network and combatting ICE’s targeting the Iranian-American community.
With more than 72,000 members across the country in all 50 states, NIAC is a powerful force in moving the national conversation and advocating loudly for peace. After the U.S. and Israel launched illegal and unprovoked strikes on Iran in June 2025, NIAC quickly mobilized more than 8,000 activists to organize anti-war rallies and drive more than 26,000 messages to Congress to make clear that Americans do not support war with Iran. In August 2025, they launched NIAC Insights on Substack to serve as a hub for timely analysis and perspectives on U.S.-Iran relations, as well as Iranian affairs. In 2025, NIAC partnered with YouGov to conduct the most comprehensive poll of Iranian Americans ever conducted, collecting a definitive, data-driven understanding of the Iranian-American community and challenging years of misinformation about what Iranian-Americans believe. Active on social media, NIAC estimates that their audience across platforms has grown to nearly five million.
PAFNYS and its sibling organization, Peace Action New York State (PANYS) have been honored to partner with NIAC in recent years to advocate for peace and diplomacy with Iran. In close collaboration with NIAC National Organizing Manager, Etan Mabourakh, PANYS has co-sponsored multiple rallies alongside NIAC in the New York City area, and joined them for letter deliveries to Congressional offices to urge Congressmembers to support an Iran War Powers resolution and oppose further funding for the war.
The current U.S.-Israeli war on Iran highlights the profound need for change in U.S. foreign policy. A durable peace between the U.S. and Iran will require good faith diplomacy, not bombs and threats of annihilation. PAFNYS commends NIAC for their work in organizing for a more peaceful U.S.-Iran relationship.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani
2026 William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awardee
When Zohran Kwame Mamdani launched his campaign for Mayor of New York City in 2024, he had his work cut out for him. Polling at under 1%, he was viewed as a longshot candidate with no chance of beating establishment political figures, Andrew Cuomo or incumbent mayor, Eric Adams. But with a platform centered on affordability for working people, Mamdani knew that his campaign would resonate with many New Yorkers struggling under the weight of inflation and skyrocketing rents.
Mamdani got to work organizing, hosting a town hall gathering with the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America that mobilized hundreds of volunteers to canvass for his campaign. Mamdani’s signature proposals – fast and free buses, free child care, and freezing the rent for rent-stabilized tenants – soon drew the attention of New Yorkers increasingly struggling to afford a good quality of life in the five boroughs of New York City.
Mamdani’s ability to inspire and mobilize an effective, citywide network of volunteers was in part thanks to his experience as a student organizer. As a student at Bowdoin College, Mamdani founded the Bowdoin Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter and got to work organizing, planning events and film festivals, and leading petitions. He also made his voice heard as a staff writer for the student newspaper, The Bowdoin Orient. During his senior year, he led his SJP chapter in launching a campaign to persuade Bowdoin to join a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. While the campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, the experience taught Mamdani an important lesson in the power of organizing. He later told the Orient, “I went from having Facebook arguments and long back-and-forths with friends about it, never making any headway to realizing that just an active group of 10 people can totally change the discourse on a campus.”
This lesson served Mamdani well in his run for Mayor of New York City. After mobilizing an incredible canvassing operation to propel his campaign to victory in the Democratic primary, Mamdani maintained his momentum as opponent Andrew Cuomo pivoted to launch an independent challenge in the general election. Despite millions of dollars in donations from AIPAC-aligned special interest groups, Cuomo stood no chance against Mamdani’s on-the-ground organizing operation, ability to communicate his message clearly and authentically, and commitment to the progressive agenda New Yorkers have been waiting for.
Mamdani spent his early childhood in Uganda and South Africa before moving with his family to New York City at age 7. He attended the Bronx High School of Science before studying at Bowdoin College, where he majored in Africana studies. After college, he worked as a housing counselor to tenants facing housing insecurity, an experience that informed his later focus on affordable housing, tenants’ rights, and the economic pressures facing working-class New Yorkers. In 2020, Mamdani was elected to the NYS Assembly for District 36, representing Astoria, Queens. As an Assembly member, he aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and honed his platform, always emphasizing the principle that the government should be working actively to address economic inequality. In October 2021, he joined a 15-day hunger strike at City Hall alongside taxi drivers protesting predatory practices in the loan industry that left drivers in inescapable debt. As a result of that protest and the advocacy of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a deal was brokered to provide debt relief for drivers.
As the 112th Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mandani has consistently centered the needs of working people and rejected the influence of corporate interests and the military industrial complex. Notably, Mamdani has also never wavered in his longtime commitment to Palestinian rights, becoming the first New York City mayor to recognize Nakba Day on May 15, 2026. He has also repeatedly condemned the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, citing its human toll as well as its catastrophic impact on the economy. Mamdani’s continued commitment to a more progressive vision for New York City is serving as the blueprint for a new era of U.S. politics, and PAFNYS commends him for being a prominent voice centering human needs over endless militarism in the national conversation.
Niagara University Peace Action
2026 Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Awardee
During the 2025-2026 school year, Niagara University Peace Action continued working out of the school’s Justice House to spread awareness about important peace and justice issues to students while keeping their events engaging and accessible.
In the fall 2025 semester, they organized a student-led presentation on how to spot fascist symbols online and on campus, and students were able to ask questions to the presenters, share insight into what they see online and in media, and discuss the implications on the student body that harmful language can have. Students received informational pamphlets on what to do when confronted with racist and or fascist rhetoric.
Throughout the fall and spring semesters, the chapter participated in a number of coalitions with other campus organizations to push back on harmful acts committed by the University, including banning the display of non-U.S. flags (including the Haudenosaunee flag, representing the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy) and allowing violent language from the newly-established College Republicans Club on campus and social media. In response, the chapter successfully advocated for the university to revise its flag policy, resulting in the Haudenosaunee flag being raised on campus in recognition of Indigenous sovereignty and cultural significance.
In the spring semester, the chapter hosted a student-faculty discussion on Iran and U.S. foreign policy that encouraged accessible dialogue, critical thinking, and student engagement with international affairs. The chapter also developed and distributed a “Know Your Rights” brochure for students across campus, with plans to expand the resource for broader community use. This brochure was presented at the 2026 PAFNYS Student Peace Conference in February (pictured) and helped provide a template for other student chapters creating their own “Know Your Rights” guides specific to their campuses/local communities.
In April, the PAFNYS Board chose Niagara University Peace Action as the 2026 Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Awardee for their leadership and activism in the 2025-2026 school year. Congratulations to Niagara University Peace Action for another outstanding year of organizing for peace and justice!
About the Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Award
In 2007, Don Shaffer took on PANYS as his personal project, recognizing the importance of having a strong New York presence in Peace Action’s national network. He mentored NYS leaders, recruited his friends’ support, and connected PANYS to other leaders in the progressive world of NY. In 2011, he convinced a friend to kickstart the Campus Organizing Program of Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) with a grant to hire a part–time Student Organizer. Starting with just one chapter in 2012, the student network has continued to grow and flourish. The Don Shaffer Student Peacemaker Award recognizes an outstanding student chapter annually for their work and leadership in peace education and activism. Student organizers of the PANFYS Campus Organizing Program carry forward the legacy of Don and his wife Doris in their own activism.
Nino Burjanadze
2026 Holly Maguigan Peace with Justice Awardee
Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) is pleased to present the third annual Holly Maguigan Peace with Justice Award to Nino Burjanadze! Selected as the 2026 awardee by a vote of the New Leadership Council — an alumni group comprised of former PAFNYS Campus Organizing Program student organizers — Nino was chosen for embodying the principles of peace with justice as a young peace organizer.
An international student at Adelphi University from the country of Georgia, Nino joined the Campus Organizing cohort in the spring semester of 2025 and immediately got to work establishing the chapter and becoming a leading voice for peace on her campus.
As a student organizer, Nino organized a collaborative event with the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Adelphi and the Interfaith and Mindfulness Center where they screened the film Ground Zero, a collection of stories from 22 Palestinian filmmakers living through war. After the screening, Nino led a reflection with students and participants about the film’s lessons about life under occupation in Gaza. She also led an interactive tabling event on campus before Tax Day to educate students about Pentagon spending and how that spending detracts from human needs programs.
After graduating in the spring of 2025, Nino traveled to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan to represent Peace Action New York State at the World Conference Against A&H Bombs, where she was invited by Shinfujin (The New Japan Women’s Association) to attend the No Nukes! Women’s Forum and share her perspective as a student organizer in the U.S. As a Communications Associate at the International Organization of Youth, she co-authored a policy paper on peace and security with six other youth representatives from around the world. She has also served as a participant at the International Youth Conference at the UN, and is planning to return to Georgia soon to serve her local community.
Congratulations, Nino Burjanadze, for your incredible work, and for your commitment to peace with justice!
About the Holly Maguigan Peace with Justice Award
We are pleased to announce the third annual presentation of the Holly Maguigan Peace with Justice Award, which Peace Action Fund of New York State (PAFNYS) awards every year to a young peace organizer who has exemplified the principles of peace with justice — one which cannot exist without the other. The award carries on the legacy of Holly Maguigan, an incredible woman whose life and work demonstrate the inextricability of peace and justice. A feminist activist, lawyer, and law professor, Maguigan’s most enduring legacy may be the way she revolutionized how the legal system treats victims of domestic violence who defend themselves against their abusers. Her lifelong commitment to justice for all made her a passionate advocate for the marginalized and underserved. Maguigan’s scholarly work has contributed greatly to the understanding of family violence, and ultimately, she has become one of the most cited scholars in the field. Maguigan served as a mentor to countless young people and emerging lawyers as they embarked on careers in public defense and civil rights law. PAFNYS is honored to play a role in honoring the tremendous legacy of Holly Maguigan by recognizing young peacemakers with the Holly Maguigan Peace with Justice Award to celebrate their commitment to the principles of peace with justice. Thank you to the family of Holly Maguigan for making this annual award possible!
Ticket sales generated by the annual William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peacemaker Awards event provide vital funding for our Campus Organizing Program, which provides mentorship and leadership opportunities to undergraduate student peace organizers.
