LOUISVILLE, Ky., Nov. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The 11th annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards was hosted at the Muhammad Ali Center on Saturday, November 9, highlighting 11 esteemed humanitarians from across the globe.
The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards are the Center’s largest annual fundraiser and incorporate two categories: Seasoned Awards, honoring individuals who have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to humanitarianism, and Six Core Principles Awards, presented to young adults 30 years of age or younger.
Shaquille O’Neal, NBA Hall of Fame and MVP awardee, was honored with the Humanitarian of the Year award, raising millions of dollars for charity and creating opportunities for youth through his nonprofit The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation. Using his larger-than-life personality and powerful athleticism, O’Neal has become a major player in bringing change to local communities in order to shape brighter futures for children. O’Neal is also a national spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Club of America, of which his relationship dates to his youth in New Jersey. In addition, O’Neal is a member of the national Board of Directors for Communities in Schools.
“Muhammad Ali set an example for generations by using his platform to stand up for what he believed in, he had the courage to ‘walk the walk,’ even when it was unpopular,” O’Neal said. “He personified the saying, ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’ and he showed us that we all have a duty to make a difference. This idea has driven me in my post-NBA career and makes tonight’s honor from the Ali Center especially meaningful.”
Bryan Stevenson received the Muhammad Ali Lifetime Achievement Award. Stevenson is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization located in Montgomery, Alabama that works to eliminate unfair sentencing and exonerate wrongly condemned prisoners. Stevenson’s work has earned him multiple awards including the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Prize and the National Medal of Liberty from the American Civil Liberties Union. Stevenson’s book “Just Mercy” is a critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller and was named one of Time Magazine’s 10 Best Books of Nonfiction for 2014.
Nile Rodgers, popular songwriter, producer, and philanthropist, was awarded the Global Citizenship Award. Rodgers uses his talents, influence, and connections to build a bridge between music and philanthropy by participating in historic fundraising efforts. Rodgers co-founded the We Are Family Foundation after 9/11 to promote the healing process, evolving the organization to create and support programs that promote cultural diversity and amplifying the vision of young people who are positively changing the world.
Dawne Gee, an Emmy award-winning journalist from Louisville, received the Kentucky Humanitarian Award. Gee has been recognized by many organizations for her leadership and philanthropic work, including the Lyman T. Johnson Distinguished Leadership Award and Louisville’s Keeper of the Dream Award. She founded the nonprofit A Recipe to End Hunger & Need to focus on ending childhood hunger, with the program growing to meet the needs of families who are asking for assistance, often for the first time.
“I know for a fact if we could learn to love as loud as the world hates what a difference it would make,” Gee said. “It does not mean we all agree but we can all respect each other and treat each other with civility and love.”
Joining those Seasoned Awardees were six young international humanitarians doing work in their countries and communities which embodies one of Muhammad Ali’s Six Core Principles: Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect, and Spirituality.
Deja Foxx (24), from the United States, was given the Confidence Award for her work in creating the GenZ Girl Gang, a nonprofit working to bridge generational gaps and sharing opportunities for a new generation of young women. Foxx has also fought for comprehensive sex education within her city’s largest school district.
Charlot Magayi (30), from Kenya, received the Conviction Award as the founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves, a product to help mothers keep their children safe and save on fuel consumption. Magayi was moved to create the product after her two-year-old daughter suffered a severe burn injury from a traditional stove. Mukuru Clean Stoves repurposes locally-sourced waste metal to manufacture reliable cookstoves.
Shah Chowdhury and Mohammad Yasir (28), from Bangladesh, each received the Dedication award for their work through their nonprofit Footsteps, empowering over 600,000 people across their country with safe water, sanitation access, disaster resilience and improved public health services.
“If you told me 10 years ago that I would be standing here today, 8000 miles away from home, receiving this incredible honor in Muhammad Ali’s name, I would say that you were crazy, 100%. This is a dream come true moment, a dream of a 17-year-old boy born in a middle class journalist family in a country which people don’t get to hear often, a dream that came true due to a combination of sheer determination and dedication towards making this world a better place, without taking no for an answer,” Chowdhury said.
Sophia Kianni (22), from Iran, received the Giving Award for creating the nonprofit Climate Cardinals, an international youth-led organization working to educate and empower about the climate movement and make it more accessible for individuals who may not speak English.
Lianna Genovese (24), from Canada, received the Respect Award. Genovese founded ImaginAble Solutions, a social impact company that creates assistive technology to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Her invention “Guided Hands” enables people with limited motor skills to write, paint and draw, with portions of each sale helping to provide products to families in need.
“Self-expression is beautiful and also a human right, one that should be accessible to everyone. I believe Muhammad Ali would agree,” Genovese said.
Richa Gupta (28), from India, earned the Spirituality Award for creating the Labhya Foundation, a visionary nonprofit pioneering the well-being movement in her country. Labhya is dedicated to institutionalizing programming that improves the quality of education for children. The nonprofit currently impacts 2.4 million vulnerable children enabling them to tackle poverty.
In addition to tonight’s awards, the Muhammad Ali Center announced two new upcoming projects promoting the future of the Center.
The Muhammad Ali Index, created in partnership with national cultural intelligence consultancy “sparks & honey,” is a pioneering research study that is designed to track compassion in America. Starting with a 12-city pilot, the study will measure and predict compassion through trends in human and artificial intelligence. Using this data, individuals and organizations will be able to create a forward-facing view into compassion and aim to shape a more compassionate future for America.
In 2025, the Muhammad Ali Center will celebrate its 20th Anniversary. The year will include special events, programming, exhibits and much more to highlight the many great things the Ali Center has accomplished and the many great achievements ahead for the Center.
The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards are made possible through the generous support of Brown-Forman, as well as by travel sponsorships from Louisville Tourism and 21C Museum Hotel, and by all the corporate and individual donors who support this event.
Contact:
Annie Moore
Muhammad Ali Center
502.992.5338 or 812.786.1072 mobile
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/444e566e-aaec-4c9a-ac39-18e07ef523c4