Tutu awarded Fulbright Prize for lifelong work promoting peace and reconciliation

November 21, 2008 [Episcopal News Service, Fulbright Association] Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu was awarded the J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding at a November 21 ceremony at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

The Fulbright Prize recognizes Tutu's "tireless work for peace in South Africa and elsewhere, his courage in speaking out against injustice, his efforts to achieve a democratic and just society without racial division, and his initiatives to alleviate suffering caused by HIV/AIDS," said a news release from the Fulbright Association, a private, non-profit organization that supports and promotes the Fulbright Program.

"The Fulbright Prize commemorates many decades of work promoting international understanding through Fulbright and other international educational exchanges," said Suzanne E. Siskel, president of the Fulbright Association. "It is a great honor to confer the 2008 Fulbright Prize on Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu whose life work exemplifies the conviction that we must, as the Fulbright Program's founder insisted, recognize human dignity as the essential common bond for a peaceful world."

The Fulbright Program, an international educational exchange initiative, was created in 1946 by legislation sponsored by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The U.S. Department of State administers Fulbright exchanges between the United States and more than 150 other countries.

The J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding carries a $50,000 award provided by The Coca-Cola Foundation. The Fulbright Association created the Prize in 1993 with a grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation to recognize individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to fostering international awareness and understanding.

"From war-torn countries to poverty-stricken communities, Desmond Tutu walks into darkness and always finds the light," said Neville Isdell, chairman of the board, The Coca-Cola Company. "He sees the best in people as he confronts the worst in people. You can't look at his life's work -- at his campaigns for human rights, his efforts against TB and HIV -- and not come away hopeful about tomorrow."

» Respond to this article