Mary Morello (born October 1, 1923) is an American activist who founded the anti-censorship group Parents for Rock and Rap in 1987.
In 1991, Morello and many others battled against legislation being proposed in Congress titled Pornography Victims Compensation Act, numbered S. 983, or, later, S. 1521.
On June 24, 1996, she received the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award[7] in Arts and Entertainment for her work with Parents for Rock and Rap.
In the fall of 1991, Morello began a volunteer teaching job at the Salvation Army[8] Rehabilitation Center in Waukegan, Illinois, where she taught adult literacy.
Morello is also known for her involvement in the 1999 debate on the incarceration of death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal, convicted of the 1982 shooting of a Philadelphia police officer.
[12] Before Rage Against the Machine hit the stage at the Pinkpop Festival in 1994, Morello introduced them as the "Best Band in the Fucking Universe".