PRESTIGIOUS MARTIN LUTHER KING JR AWARD FOR SIR HILARY BECKLES

By Staff Writer

Noted Caribbean historian, Sir Hilary Beckles will be conferred with the prestigious “Peace and Freedom Award” at this year’s Dr Martin Luther King Day Awards Ceremony.

The event is scheduled for the annual breakfast event on MLK Day on January 18th in Washington D.C.

Barbados-born Sir Hilary, Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies, is being recognised for his global advocacy, academic scholarship and intellectual leadership in support of social justice, institutional equity, and economic development for marginalised and oppressed ethnicities and nations.

He is President of Universities Caribbean, Chairman of the Caribbean Examinations Council, Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission and Advisor on Sustainable Development to former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

This is the 30th anniversary for the awards in which the work and the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. are celebrated and persons honoured with a view to refocusing and sustaining his dream.

This year’s other honoree is the world-renowned American physician and immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci, one of the leading experts on infectious diseases.

Dr Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the US since 1984 and one of the lead members of the US government’s Coronavirus Task Force - roles he'll continue under the incoming Biden administration.

Dr Fauci will be honoured with the “Lifetime Community Service Award”.

Prior awardees include the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton; Berry Gordy, Founder of Motown Music, and the 82nd Attorney General of the USA, Eric Holder who is of Barbadian background.

Event speakers have included President-Elect Joe Biden in his previous capacity of Vice-President, and former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch.