Civil rights champion John Lewis named recipient of 2016 Liberty Medal

U.S. Congressman John Lewis will be honored with Philadelphia’s Liberty Medal for his dedication to civil rights.

In announcing the award late last week, National Constitution Center CEO Jeffrey Rosen says Lewis’s leadership “helped to extend the blessings of liberty and equality to all Americans.”

Lewis is the only living “Big 6” leader of the civil rights movement, which included Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, A. Phillip Randolph, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young. He was repeatedly threatened with violence while working for voting rights in the Jim Crow South. He has represented Georgia in the U.S. House since 1987.

He will be presented with the award in a September 19 ceremony.

The medal is given annually to those who strive to secure liberty for people worldwide.

Previous Liberty Medal winners include the Dalai Lama, Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and rock singer Bono.

Source: Associated Press