Ford Freedom Awards Will Be Handed Out This Week
DETROIT (WWJ) - The 14th Annual Ford Freedom Awards will be held this week at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.
This year's theme is "Talent, Tenacity and Teamwork: African Americans in Sports." Honorees include the New York Renaissance basketball team and the NBA's all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The Ford Freedom Award is awarded to people who dedicate their lives to improving the African American community and the world in general. Previous posthumous honorees have included Judge Constance Baker Motley, Ossie Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, Jackie Robinson, General Daniel "Chappie" James, Benjamin Elijah Mays, Coretta Scott King and John H. Johnson. The awards were conceived in 1999.
Juanita Moore, president and CEO of the museum, told WWJ Newsradio 950: "It is important for young people to see living examples and to hear from living examples," Moore said. "They get to interact with them, to ask questions, and to get that kind of advice."
The Ford Freedom Awards take place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
In addition to an evening gala, the Ford Freedom Award program includes a statewide essay contest for grades four through eight, which this year drew more than 1,900 submissions.
The Ford Freedom Award program is made possible by a grant from Ford Motor Company, and is an annual fundraiser for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.
