Bernie Sanders and AOC in Terre Haute for the Eugene V. Debs Awards Ceremony

October 29, 2025

Recently, Terre Haute, Indiana welcomed two of the nation’s most prominent political figures — Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Sanders visited the city to receive the Eugene V. Debs Award. WFYI’s Kyle Long was on hand to capture the sounds, music, and speeches that defined the evening. Listen to Long’s interview with Sanders, along with music from the Local Honeys; the Kentucky-based duo opened the ceremony with a set of old-time folk music. 

Born in 1855, Eugene Debs was raised in Terre Haute, Indiana. Debs was a political activist, trade unionist, founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World, and a five-time Socialist Party presidential candidate. In 1962, the Debs Foundation was established in Terre Haute to preserve Debs' legacy. Since 1965, the foundation has presented the annual Eugene V. Debs Award to individuals and organizations whose work advances the causes of labor rights, peace, and human equality. Past recipients include Kurt Vonnegut, Coretta Scott King, Dolores Huerta, Howard Zinn, Pete Seeger, and Ralph Nader.