THE FOUR FREEDOMS AWARDS
The Four Freedoms Awards are presented to individuals and organizations whose
achievements have demonstrated a commitment to the principles which President
Roosevelt proclaimed in his historic speech to Congress on January 6, 1941, as
essential to democracy: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship,
freedom from want, freedom from fear.
The Roosevelt Institute has awarded the Four Freedoms Medals to some of the
most distinguished Americans and world citizens of our time, including Presidents
Truman, Carter, and Clinton; Nelson Mandela; Coretta Scott King; Arthur Miller;
Desmond Tutu; and the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The Four Freedoms Awards are presented in alternating years by the Roosevelt
Institute in the U.S. and Roosevelt Stichting in the Netherlands. We are honored to
host a delegation of guests from the Netherlands in Hyde Park for the 2019 awards.
THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE
Until economic and social rules work for all Americans, they’re not working. Inspired
by the legacy of Franklin and Eleanor, the Roosevelt Institute reimagines the rules
to create a nation where everyone enjoys a fair share of our collective prosperity.
We are a 21st century think tank, bringing together multiple generations of thinkers
and leaders to help drive key economic and social debates and have local and
national impact. The Roosevelt Institute is also the nonprofit partner to the FDR
Presidential Library and Museum.
THE FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is America’s first
presidential library—and the only one used by a sitting president. Conceived and built
under President Roosevelt’s direction and opened to the public in 1941, the Library
is administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. Members and
donors form a vital base of support for many of the Library’s key initiatives and help
keep our doors open to visitors and students from around the world.
THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE Presents
OCTOBER 5, 2019
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
PROGRAM
PROCESSIONAL
Gigi Hseuh, Violin; Sarina Schwartz, Violin; Javen Lara, Viola; Nathan Matsubara, Cello
The Bard Conservatory String Quartet
Danzas de Panama – I. Tamborito William Grant Still (1895 - 1978)
WELCOME
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Chair, Roosevelt Institute
SPECIAL REMARKS
Felicia Wong President & CEO, Roosevelt Institute
PRESENTATION OF THE AWARDS
MEDALS PRESENTED BY
Elizabeth Roosevelt Kelly Trustee, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
ARTHUR SCHLESINGER, JR. 1917 - 2007
This year and every year, we remember Arthur Schlesinger,
Jr. and his brilliant contributions to the vision and meaning
of the Four Freedoms. Professor Schlesinger was the
pre-eminent American historian and public intellectual of
the 20th century. His work has framed our fundamental
understanding of U.S. politics and political beliefs. He won
the Pulitzer Prize for his powerfully influential biography
of Andrew Jackson, chronicled the years of the New Deal,
and wrote some of the definitive books on the Kennedy
administration, in which he served as Special Assistant
to the President. Throughout his lifetime, Professor
Schlesinger championed the message of the Four
Freedoms, and as Chairman of the Roosevelt Institute
he was a significant force in organizing the annual Four
Freedoms Awards. He saw in President Roosevelt’s words
a great challenge to all nations and all peoples to work
together for a better world. Schlesinger’s eloquence, his
prodigious writing abilities, his extraordinary network of
friends and colleagues, and his outspoken integrity in
defending and challenging American democracy made
him a major influence in advancing Roosevelt’s message.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION
The Boston Globe Presented to Vinay Mehra
President
Citation read by James Roosevelt, Jr. Counsel, Verrill Dana LLP
Former President & CEO, Tufts Health Plan
FREEDOM OF WORSHIP
Krista Tippett Founder & CEO, The On Being Project
Citation read by Lisa Cook Board Member, Roosevelt Institute
Associate Professor of Economics and International Relations, Michigan State University
FREEDOM FROM WANT
Franklin Thomas Former President, Ford Foundation
Citation read by Hilary Pennington Executive Vice President, Ford Foundation
FREEDOM FROM FEAR
Sandy Hook Promise Presented to Mark Barden
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Citation read by Cantwell F. Muckenfuss III Board Secretary, Roosevelt Institute
Retired Partner, Gibson Dunn
MUSICAL INTERLUDE
Danzas de Panama – IV. Cumbia y Congo William Grant Still
FREEDOM MEDAL
Lonnie Bunch Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Citation read by Linda Johnson Rice Chair & CEO, Johnson Publishing Company
CLOSING REMARKS
Nicholas W. Roosevelt Board Member, Roosevelt Institute
Associate, J. Abrams Law, P.C.
RECESSIONAL
Danzas de Panama – III. Punto William Grant Still
The Boston Globe FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION
In 2018, The Boston Globe made a call to news organizations
to publish editorials in support of a free press and their critical
role in democracy. Over 300 publications across the United
States answered its call as they published editorials. The Boston
Globe and other publications declared that journalists are not
the enemy, but rather a necessary component in political news
correspondence. The Boston Globe is a leader in advocating for
the importance of free press and the responsibility of journalism
during a politically tumultuous era.
Krista Tippett FREEDOM OF WORSHIP
A leader in journalism and public thought, Krista Tippett is the
Founder and CEO of The On Being Project, a weekly national
public radio show where she hosts conversations about the
religious, spiritual, and moral aspects of human life. Tippett is a
Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, a New York Times bestselling
author, and Stanford Haas Center Distinguished Visitor. During the
Franklin Thomas FREEDOM FROM WANT
Franklin Thomas has dedicated his life to public service,
community development, and philanthropy. Thomas was an
attorney for the Federal Housing and Home Finance Agency
(now HUD) and served as the first African-American Deputy
Police Commissioner in charge of legal matters at the New
York City Police Department, where he established the Civilian
Complaint Review Board. In 1967 he was appointed as President
of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation where he led
efforts in job creation, community building, and neighborhood
redevelopment for ten years. In 1979, Thomas became the first
African-American President and CEO of the Ford Foundation,
one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States.
At the Ford Foundation, where he served for 17 years, he focused
on issues relating to urban poverty, human rights, and anti-
apartheid initiatives.
1980s, she lived in Cold War Berlin as a news correspondent for
the New York Times, Newsweek, BBC, and Die Zeit, and later was a
special assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to West Germany. In 2014,
President Barack Obama awarded her the National Humanities
Medal and said, “Ms. Tippett avoids easy answers, embracing
complexity and inviting people of every background to join her
conversation about faith, ethics and moral wisdom.”
Sandy Hook Promise FREEDOM FROM FEAR
Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization founded
and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed
at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Their
mission is to prevent gun-related deaths due to crime, suicide,
and accidental discharge so that no other parent experiences
the senseless, horrific loss of their child. Sandy Hook Promise is
working to build a national movement of parents, schools, and
community organizations engaged and empowered to deliver
gun violence prevention programs and mobilize for the passage
of sensible state and national policy. Since their founding, they’ve
trained over 7.5 million educators, parents, community leaders,
and students. Accepting the award on behalf of Sandy Hook
Promise is Co-Founder and Managing Director Mark Barden.
Since the tragic killing of his son, first-grader Daniel Barden,
Mark has dedicated himself to bringing people together to find
sensible solutions that will prevent future tragedies.
Lonnie Bunch FREEDOM MEDAL
Lonnie Bunch has dedicated his life to telling a fuller and more
complex historical narrative as he illuminates forgotten stories
and elevates powerful messages. Bunch is the first African-
American to lead the Smithsonian Institution, where he oversees
19 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, research centers, and
educational centers. Previously, Bunch was the founding director
of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African-American
History and Culture. He served as president of the Chicago
Historical Society and associate director of curatorial affairs at
the National Museum of American History. Lonnie Bunch first
began at the Smithsonian in 1978 as an educational specialist at
the National Air and Space Museum.
He has written numerous books about black military history,
the American presidency, and museums such as Call of the Lost
Dream: Essays on History, Race and Museums; and A Fool’s
Errand: Creating the National Museum of African American
History and Culture During the Age of Bush, Obama, and Trump.
ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Board Chair
Wole Coaxum Board Treasurer
Cantwell F. Muckenfuss III Board Secretary
Paul Rudd Board Vice Chair
William vanden Heuvel
Board Chair Emeritus
Paul Sparrow FDR Library Director
OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT LIBRARY TRUSTEES
Nancy Roosevelt Ireland Chair
Lynn Bassanese
Allida Black
Dan Boyd
Kevin Burke
Douglas Brinkley
Fredrica Goodman
Shirley Handel
Debra Heinrich
Elizabeth Kelly
William Leuchtenburg
Steven Lomazow
Mary Moran
Dennis Murray
Beth Newburger Schwartz
Alison Overseth
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr.
Eileen Simmons
Aprill Springfield
Gillian Steel
Anne Sumers
William vanden Heuvel
Geoffrey Ward
MEMBERS OF THE TRUSTEES
Karen Adler
Kate Brandt
Adam Conner
Lisa Cook
Joelle Gamble
Christie George
Fay Hartog-Levin
James P. Hoffa
Perrin Ireland
Jas Johl
Keith Mestrich
Sally Minard
Nancy Roosevelt Ireland
Nicholas W. Roosevelt
Phoebe Roosevelt
Bernard L. Schwartz
Randi Weingarten
Brian Wolff
Katrina vanden Heuvel
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