The love for former President Barack Obama continued to flow Thursday as he was named the 2017 winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for carrying on the legacy of his fellow Democrat.
NBC News reports that Caroline Kennedy and her son, Jack Schlossberg, will present Obama with the award during a ceremony May 7 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
Caroline Kennedy released a statement that said: “President Kennedy called on a new generation of Americans to give their talents to the service of the country. With exceptional dignity and courage, President Obama has carried that torch into our own time, providing young people of all backgrounds with an example they can emulate in their own lives.”
Obama tweeted that he was “humbled to be recognized by a family with a legacy of service.”
From NBC:
The award is presented annually by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation to public servants who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences. It is named for Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage. The book tells the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers by taking principled stands for unpopular positions.
“Faced with unrelenting political opposition, President Obama has embodied the definition of courage that my grandfather cites in the opening lines of Profiles in Courage: grace under pressure,” Schlossberg said. “Throughout his two terms in office, he represented all Americans with decency, integrity and an unshakeable commitment to the greater good.”
The foundation said that Obama is being recognized for “his enduring commitment to democratic ideals and elevating the standard of political courage in a new century,” and cited the expansion of health care options for millions of people, restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba and leadership on an international climate-change agreement.
According to NBC, the award has been given out annually since 1989, and past winners have included former Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush.
Read more at NBC News.