afrol News, 8 August - President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia has added yet another feather on her cap by winning the 2007 International Freedom Award of the National Civil Rights Museum in the US.

Other awardees are Dr. John Hope Franklin and Earvin Magic Johnson.

The award has been conferred on individuals who have made significant contributions in civil rights in their respective communities. It is also conferred on persons who have laid the foundation for present and future leaders in the ongoing battle for human rights worldwide.

President Johnson-Sirleaf’s award is sponsored by the Hyde Family Foundation. She will be awarded on 23 October at a colourful banquet in the United States.

Ms Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first woman elected President, was honoured with the 2006 African Leadership Prize. This noble award was formerly won by Nelson Mandela and other African dignitaries.

She was a cabinet minister in Liberia in the 1970s and later a senior United Nations administrator in the 1990s.

President Johnson-Sirleaf has been commended for her untiring efforts to ensure that democracy flourishes in Liberia.

“Johnson-Sirleaf has worked toward a better Liberia by providing plans for economic development and an end to corruption and civil war. In 2006, Forbes Magazine named her one of the "100 Most Powerful Women in the World,” Ms Johnson’s citation reads.

Past recipients of the freedom award include Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Bill Clinton, Bono, Oprah Winfrey, John Lewis, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Carter, Colin Powell, Stevie Wonder, Dr. Benjamin Hooks and Bishop Desmond Tutu.

The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, the assassination site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., chronicles key episodes of the American civil rights movement and the legacy of this movement to inspire participation in civil and human rights efforts globally, through our collections, exhibitions, and educational programs.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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