Freedom Awards to Commemorate 220th Anniversary of First Religious Liberty Law
The Council for America's First Freedom will be honoring three distinguished advocates of religious freedom next month for their contributions to advancing religious liberty around the world.
The Council for America's First Freedom will be honoring three distinguished advocates of religious freedom next month for their contributions to advancing religious liberty around the world.
Following National Religious Freedom Day and in commemoration of the 220th anniversary of the nation’s first law guaranteeing religious liberty, the council will hold the 2006 First Freedom Awards on Jan. 18, 2006 at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va. This will be the council's 12th year sponsoring the First Freedom Awards.
Awards in three different categories will be presented to Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic and Czechoslovakia; the honorable Chet Edwards, seven-term U.S. representative from Waco, Texas; and Dr. Robert S. Alley, professor emeritus of Humanities at the University of Richmond. They will receive the International First Freedom Award, the National First Freedom Award and the Virginia First Freedom Award, respectively.
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"These three honorees have dedicated much of their professional lives to the defense of religious liberty," said Tommy Baer, president of the Council for America's First Freedom, in a released statement. "They are people of conscience and principles whose insights and courage have helped deepen our collective understanding of religious freedom and fortify the foundation of this inherent human right."
Past recipients include Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain; Lawrence Eagleburger, former Secretary of State; Richard C. Holbrooke, chief negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; and Dr. Garry Wills, Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Based out of Richmond, Va., the Council for America's First Freedom provides educational programs, materials and information about religious freedom as an American historical development, as a contemporary controversy, and as an international human right. Currently, the Council is developing the First Freedom Center, a world-class facility that will offer a dynamic visitor experience with state-of-the-art interactive exhibits exploring the development of religious freedom in America, and today's related national and international issues.
