WASHINGTON, D.C. (CitizenWire) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will commemorate Human Rights Day by presenting the Eleanor Roosevelt Award to four American human rights defenders for their contributions to the promotion and protection of human rights both in the United States and abroad. This year’s honorees – Professor Louis Henkin, Alice Hartman Henkin, Wade Henderson, and Sarah Cleto Rial – were selected for the extraordinary work they have done to improve human rights, both at home and abroad.
Secretary Clinton’s statement in commemoration of Human Rights Day can be found at http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/12/152623.htm .
The Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights was established by Secretary of State Albright in 1998, at the direction of President Clinton. The Award honors U.S. citizens who, like Eleanor Roosevelt herself, advocate tirelessly for human rights, both at home and abroad.
* PROFESSOR LOUIS HENKIN (posthumous) For more than 50 years, Professor Louis Henkin was a major figure in developing the study of human rights law and inspiring generations of legal scholars, government officials and activists.
* ALICE HARTMAN HENKIN For three decades, as the director of the Justice and Society Program at the Aspen Institute, she has brought together lawyers, business leaders and educators to help shape U.S. polices on human rights, international law and peacekeeping.
* WADE HENDERSON A tireless civil and human rights leader and advocate, Wade Henderson has led the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights as its president and Chief Executive Officer since 1996.
* SARAH CLETO RIAL A native of southern Sudan, Sarah Cleto Rial is the program director for My Sister’s Keeper, a Boston-based Non Governmental Organization that works to advance political, social and economic justice for women and girls in Sudan.