Oprah Winfrey, Chouchou Namegabe among women honored at DVF awards

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Media mogul Oprah Winfrey and Congolese activist Chouchou Namegabe were among the five women honored at the third annual DVF Awards held in New York City on March 9. An event scheduled to concur with the Daily Beast Women In the World conference held last week at Lincoln Center, the DVF Awards are bestowed yearly on courageous women who fight for justice.

Designer and humanitarian Diane von Furstenberg hosted the 500-person fete, which was sponsored by the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation. Held this year at the United Nations, the DVF Awards were given to:

-Oprah Winfrey, who received a Lifetime Leadership honor.
-Jaycee Dugard, for her JAYC Foundation that supports families dealing with tragedies.
-Chouchou Namegabe, whose leadership uplifts women in her homeland of the Congo.
-Layli Miller-Muro, founder of the Tahirih Justice Center, created to protect women from human right violations.
-Panmela Castro, a Brazilian artist who champions female victims of domestic violence.

Other fabulous and powerful women in attendance included author Fran Lebowitz, Broadway director Julie Taymor, Daily Beast chief Tina Brown, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

According to the Associated Press, Winfrey used her time at the podium to praise Jaycee Dugard, the victim of an infamous kidnapping case, instead of discussing her own accomplishments. Dugard was kidnapped at the age of 11, then held captive for 18 years. During this time, she was raped, and bore two children before her captors, Phillip and Nancy Garrido, were brought to justice.

“Jaycee Dugard, I am so proud of you, your courage, your ability to press onward toward the future and toward a more victorious life for yourself and for using your courage, your strength, and your power to show the world that you care,” Winfrey told her fellow award recipient, as reported by AP.

“My hope is to be remembered for what I do and not for what happened to me,” Dugard said upon receiving her award.

Follow Alexis Garrett Stodghill on Twitter at @lexisb