“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
.
PaperCity
is serving asmedia sponsor for the event.
Spring2014 /
/
4
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.
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King Jr.
Gerda
Weissmann
Klein
U.S.
Representative
John Lewis
