Dalai Lama Will Receive Liberty Medal in Philadelphia on October 26th
By Robin Culverwell
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Dalai Lama has been chosen as this year's recipient of the Liberty Medal. He'll be here in Philadelphia to accept the award on October 26th.
"This is a lifetime achievement award and it's a capstone, just recognizing his influence over many decades," says National Constitution Center president and CEO Jeffrey Rosen, who says they are thrilled for the opportunity to honor the 14th Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, for his work in expanding freedom, compassion, and tolerance worldwide.
"It's also exciting for the Tibetan community in Philadelphia," Rosen tells KYW Newsradio. "I know that they are thrilled to receive His Holiness. He will be addressing them, and I think it's going to be an absolutely memorable experience for all of us."
This will be the 27th Liberty Medal, and Rosen notes the world has gotten much smaller since 1989, when the first Liberty Medal went to labor leader and human rights activist Lech Walesa, who led the workers' strikes at the Gdansk shipyard in Poland.