*Dr. Anthony Fauci and Colin Kaepernick are both being honored with the 2020 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope award.
As noted by MSN.com, the award is given to leaders who demonstrate a commitment to social change.
Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, is also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by President George W. Bush in 2008.
“Dr. Fauci has advised six presidents on HIV/AIDS and many other domestic and global health issues and was one of the principal architects of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that has saved millions of lives throughout the developing world,” RFK Human Rights said in a press release.
Kaepernick, former NFL player turned activist, made headlines in 2016 when he began kneeling during the national anthem before games to protest police brutality and racial injustice.
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Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized by America for centuries, & are expected to join your commemoration of “independence”, while you enslaved our ancestors. We reject your celebration of white supremacy & look forward to liberation for all. ✊? pic.twitter.com/YCD2SYlgv4
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) July 4, 2020
Kap is also co-founder of Know Your Rights Camp, which aims “to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.”
In a statement about the award, he said: “In 2017, I was in the audience honoring Mr. Harry Belafonte as he accepted the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award. I am humbled to follow the footsteps of individuals like Mr. B and to be in the company of all the other laureates. Thank you for this prestigious award.”
The award, presented by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights nonprofit, honors leaders “who have demonstrated a commitment to social change and reflect Robert Kennedy’s passion for equality, justice, basic human rights, and his belief that each of us can make a difference.”
Past recipients include Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Congressman John Lewis, Apple CEO Tim Cook, actor Robert De Niro and Hillary Clinton.
The 52nd annual Ripple of Hope Award Gala will be held virtually on December 10, 2020.
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