July 30, 2009

Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu is among 16 recipients who will receive the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama at an awards ceremony scheduled for August 12.

The award is intended to recognize individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."

Tutu, a leading anti-apartheid activist, is "widely regarded as ‘South Africa's moral conscience,'" said a July 30 White House news release announcing the medal recipients.

Tutu served as the general secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) from 1978–1985, "where he led a formidable crusade in support of justice and racial reconciliation in South Africa," the news release said. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work through SACC. Tutu served as archbishop of Cape Town and primate of Southern Africa from 1986-1996, and was appointed chair of the South Africa Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1995.

The other 2009 recipients are Nancy Goodman Brinker, Pedro Jose Greer, Jr., Stephen Hawking, Edward Kennedy, Billie Jean King, Joseph Lowery, Joe Medicine Crow – High Bird, Harvey Milk, Sandra Day O'Connor, Sidney Poitier, Chita Rivera, Mary Robinson, Janet Davison Rowley, and Muhammad Yunus. Republican Jack Kemp, who died in May, and Democrat and gay rights activist Harvey Milk, who died in 1978, will receive posthumous awards.

"These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds," said Obama in the White House statement. "Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said: "In naming the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients today, President Obama has honored the fundamental values of service and progress. Though those to be honored have a diversity of backgrounds, they share a commitment to change, to improving their communities and our world."

The White House press release is available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Names-Medal-of-Freedom-Recipients.

Episcopal News Service