Fauci and Kaepernick are the latest recipients of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• For this year’s Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award honoree, the organization has chosen Dr. Anthony Fauci and former NFL star player Colin Kaepernick.
• The organization said the recipients continue to inspire many people worldwide through their human rights advocacies and contribution to change.
• Some of the organization’s prominent inductees in the past include ex-President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, and former NFL star quarterback Colin Kaepernick are set to slated to be among the awardees of this year’s Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award.

Other leaders who are also likely to get the honor this year include DocuSign CEO Dan Springer, PayPal president and CEO Dan Schulman, and United Farm Workers of America co-founder and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, Dolores Huerta.

In an announcement on Monday, the organization said the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights award is for the modern-day human rights advocates that inspire others with their efforts, especially during these times when the quest for fairness and integrity has turned political and facing difficulties.

In his statement, Kaepernick thanked the organization and recalled the time when he witnessed the awarding of artist and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte of the same in 2017, saying that he was humbled to be part of the list of people who received the honor.

The organization’s decision to award Kaepernick was following his peaceful protest against racial discrimination by kneeling during the national anthem. The act has caused national debate as demonstrations across the country were ignited due to police brutality towards Black Americans and the murder of George Floyd while under arrest by law enforcers.

Kaepernick started the move during the 2016 NFL, and he was the league’s first player to kneel while “The Star-Spangled Banner” is played before the games.

And while other NFL players and sportspersons followed suit to protest discrimination and police violence, Kaepernick was often targeted by conservatives including President Donald Trump as the representative of a movement they described to be traitorous.

The addition of Dr. Fauci as the recipient of the Ripple of Hope Award is mainly because of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief’s help as a member of the White House’s coronavirus task force to address the outbreak.

The president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Kerry Kennedy,  said that at these challenging times, the U.S is longing for leadership, moral courage, decency, and compassion, and Dr. Fauciu is one of those who give the nation hope for a better tomorrow.

Kennedy added that the honorary recipients are changemakers who inspires many all over the world.

Past inductees of the prestige honor include former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ex-Vice President Joe Biden, and  Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Source: The Hill