It has been announced that Cleveland area Congressman Dennis Kucinich will be awarded the 37th annual Thomas Merton Award for work in social justice. He will be presented with the award on Sunday, November 1st at The Merton Center's annual banquet at the Churchill Valley Country Club.

Kucinich has a long history of promoting justice throughout his lengthy career in politics, spanning from his stint as Cleveland's mayor through his career in Congress and runs for the presidency in 2004 and 2008. He has bills for national health care, calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and strongly opposes the North American Free Trade Act.

The award is named for Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk whose explorations of spirituality and social justice became widely read during the 1950s and 1960s. It is given annually to "national and international individuals struggling for justice."

Ticket information for the banquet is available at thomasmertoncenter.org or by calling 412-361-3022. Tickets are $45.