Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and Colin Kaepernick, a civil rights activist and professional football player, are among the winners of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award this year.
The award “celebrates outstanding leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to social change, recognizing individuals across government, business, advocacy, and entertainment who have utilized their platform for the public good,” according to the New York-based organization, which is named for the late U.S. attorney general turned U.S. senator turned presidential candidate.
The other 2020 Ripple of Hope Award laureates are United Farm Workers of America cofounder Dolores Huerta, PayPal president and CEO Dan Schulman, and DocuSign CEO Dan Springer.
“Our country is yearning for leadership, for moral fortitude, for common decency and kindness, and this year’s Ripple of Hope laureates give us great hope for the future,” Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Robert Kennedy’s daughter, said in a written statement. “Their work for equal justice touches every corner of society, sometimes at great personal cost. We are deeply honored to celebrate these changemakers, who have set forth countless ripples of hope at a time when our world is in such need of inspiration.”
President Barack Obama, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and singer-activists Harry Belafonte and Bono are among the past awardees.
This year’s awards ceremony will be held virtually on December 10, also known as the United Nations’ Human Rights Day, the organization said.
Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968.