By Globe Newswire
Hafsat Abiola is one of three honorees selected for the National Civil Rights Museum’s 28th Annual Freedom Award to be held on Oct. 30. Honorees are selected for their many achievements and contributions on a national and global scale in the name of equality, social justice and freedom for all. Other 2019 honorees include musician and social activist John Legend and author and feminist organizer Gloria Steinem.
Hafsat Abiola, president and CEO of Women in Africa, is a noted Nigerian human and civil rights activist. Since age 19, she has been working to ensure democracy and economic fairness in Nigeria in the name of her deceased mother and father. An evolving changemaker in both Nigeria and the United States, Abiola uses her global platforms to empower women through training and leadership development and strengthen civil society in Nigeria and other African countries through her founding organization, KIND.
Hafsat Abiola joins Oprah Winfrey, the Dalai Lama and others on the list of change makers during the 28th annual event. (Courtesy Photo)
“In spite of adversity, Hafsat Abiola, has labored on the civil rights frontlines in Nigeria from a young age, and we are excited to honor her with The Freedom Award,” said Terri Lee Freeman, National Civil Rights Museum president. “Her dedication to the work of maintaining democracy and freedom in her country and beyond reflects her story of resilience.”
Additionally, Freedom Award will pay tribute to the Green Book, also known as the Negro Travelers’ Green Book, that identified safe accommodations and services for African Americans traveling during the Jim Crow Era, which included the Lorraine Motel, the current site of the National Civil Rights Museum.
Over the past 27 years, the National Civil Rights Museum has presented The Freedom Award to some of the most lauded civil and human rights leaders and history makers in the world including, Coretta Scott King, President Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, President Bill Clinton, President Jimmy Carter, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Rosa Parks, international rock star Bono, former U. S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Paul Rusesabagina of Rwanda, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Usher Raymond, Cicely Tyson and many more.
The Freedom Award presenting sponsors are International Paper, FedEx Corporation, Hyde Family Foundations, Ford Motor Company and First Tennessee Foundation. Tickets and sponsorships are available at freedomaward.org.
This article originally appeared in The Westside Gazette.