Holocaust Museum Houston

“Since our founding in 1996, it has been our mission to teach the dangers of hatred, prejudice and apathy. In many ways, the struggle of African-Americans for their freedoms parallels the tragedy our own Survivors underwent during theHolocaust. Thesewere each unique situations, but each has shown over the years why thatmissionhasbeen so important and remains so today. These two individuals stoodup in the faceof injustice and provided many, many people with a dream of hope, love and humanity that changed our world,” said MuseumChairMarkMucasey. HolocaustMuseumHoustoncreated theLyndonBaines JohnsonMoralCourageAward in1994 incooperation with the Johnson family. In 1938, as a young congressman, Johnson stretched the limits of his authority and riskedhispersonal dreams toprovideAmerican sanctuary for threatenedEuropean Jews. It isbecauseof these acts of moral courage that theMuseum proudly named the award in his honor. The award recognizes either a single righteous act or a lifetime of morally courageous behavior. Previous recipients have included French priest Father Patrick Desbois; Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel; activist and actressMia Farrow; humanitarian JohnPrendergast of theEnoughProject; U.S. Sen. John McCain; televisionproducerNormanLear; theHoustoncommunityofHolocaust survivors; the lateDaniel Pearl, the WallStreet Journal reporterwhowasmurderedby terrorists inPakistan; activistSirBobGeldof; formerU.S. Secretary of StateColin Powell; former U.S. Sen. LloydBentsen, Jr.; former U.S. Sen. Robert Dole; filmmaker StevenSpielberg; and former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, amongothers.

Tables of 10 are available beginning at $6,000. Individual tickets begin at $600 each. ToRSVP or to reserve a table, call 713-527-1612, or e-mail HMHDinner@hmh.org.

PaperCity is serving asmedia sponsor for the event.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Gerda Weissmann Klein

U.S. Representative John Lewis

During the less than 13 years of King’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, fromDecember 1955 until April 4, 1968, African- Americans achieved more genuine progress toward racial equality inAmerica than theprevious 350 years had produced. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is widely regarded as America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders inworld history. Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950’s and ‘60s to achieve legal equality for African- Americans in theUnitedStates.Whileotherswere advocating for freedomby “anymeansnecessary,” including violence, King used the power of words andactsofnonviolent resistance, suchasprotests, grassroots organizing and civil disobedience, to achieve seemingly impossible goals. He went on to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict, alwaysmaintaining fidelity to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal members of the human family.

Gerda Weissmann Klein is a Polish-born American writer and human rights activist. Her autobiographical account of the Holocaust, “All but My Life” (1957), was adapted for the 1995 short film “One Survivor Remembers,” which received anAcademy Award and anEmmy Award andwas selected for theNational FilmRegistry. Shemet her husband, Kurt Klein (1920–2002) on May 7, 1945, when as a lieutenant with the U.S. Army’s 5th Infantry Division, he liberated her and others from Nazi captivity. Married in 1946, the Kleins became tireless advocates of Holocaust education and human rights, dedicating most of their lives to promoting tolerance and community service. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Klein also founded Citizenship Counts, a nonprofit organization that champions the value and responsibilities of American citizenship. She has served on the governing board of the United States Holocaust MemorialMuseum,which featuresher testimony in a permanent exhibit. On Feb. 15, 2011, Kleinwas presentedwith thePresidentialMedal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in theUnitedStates.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis is often called “one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced,” Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties and buildingwhat he calls “The Beloved Community” in America. His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles has won him the admiration of many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in theUnitedStatesCongress. He has been called “the conscience of the U.S. Congress,” and RollCall magazinehassaid, “John Lewis… is a genuine American hero and moral leader who commands widespread respect in the chamber.” Hewasborn thesonof sharecroppersonFeb. 21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama. He grew up on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools inPikeCounty, Alabama.

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