Colin Kaepernick, Anthony Fauci to receive Kennedy human rights award
Colin Kaepernick and Anthony Fauci have been named 2020 honorees of the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope award
Colin Kaepernick and Dr. Anthony Fauci will be honored with a prestigious award to acknowledge their accomplishments in social justice and public health.
Kaepernick and Fauci may work in different realms but each of them has been lauded for their contributions to humanity. Kaepernick, a former NFL player, advanced the cause of racial and social justice through kneeling when the National Anthem was being played.
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Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and advisor to six U.S. presidents, has been at the forefront of the coronavirus pandemic. He’s provided expert information even when it hasn’t been well received by the Trump administration or the public.
Both have been named 2020 honorees of the 52nd annual Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Awards reports the New York Daily News. According to a press release, 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.”
Kaepernick, who remains unemployed as an NFL quarterback, was vindicated in some fashion when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell posted a video proclaiming “Black lives matter” in June. Goodell also stated that the league had gotten it wrong on social justice.
“In 2017, I was in the audience honoring Mr. Harry Belafonte as he accepted the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award,” Kaepernick said. “I am humbled to follow the footsteps of individuals like Mr. B and to be in the company of all the other laureates.”
Fauci continues to be the voice of authority as the coronavirus pandemic is surging anew in U.S. cities like California, Texas, Florida and across the world in Europe, Asia and China.
Fauci is also being honored for his work on the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The other honorees are United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, PayPal president Dan Schulman and Dan Springer who is the CEO of DocuSign.
The awards will be handed out in a virtual ceremony on Dec. 10.
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“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, the president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, said.
“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.”
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