|
 Mr. Blair is widely recognized around the world for
his stewardship of the United Kingdom through an especially
important period in its history, and has been lauded for his
post-governmental philanthropic work enhancing government
effectiveness, particularly in Africa, and promoting stability and
understanding in the Middle East.
The Lincoln Leadership Prize – to be awarded April 24, 2018, in
Chicago – is an annual award that recognizes outstanding individuals
for a lifetime of service in the spirit of the 16th President of the
United States, Abraham Lincoln. The award honors individuals who
manifest great strength of character, individual conscience and
unwavering commitment to the defining principles of democracy.
“We are delighted to honor Mr. Blair with the Lincoln Leadership
Prize,” said Ray McCaskey, Chair of the ALPLF Board of Directors.
“He embodies the kind of leadership that President Lincoln would
have recognized and appreciated. Through his tenure as Prime
Minister and his global good works since then, Mr. Blair embodies
the spirit of President Lincoln. President Lincoln and Mr. Blair
both led their countries through tumultuous times and understood
they would make decisions that might be unpopular with the general
public,” McCaskey added. “Yet, they remained singularly focused on
the policies that would strengthen their countries and improve the
lives of their constituents in the long term.”
President Lincoln led the United States through the four-year Civil
War. It was Lincoln’s leadership that preserved the Union, paved the
way for the abolition of slavery and strengthened the federal
government.
Mr. Blair, who was the longest serving Labour Party Prime Minister
(1997 to 2007), guided the Northern Ireland peace process, bringing
the country together after decades of conflict. Throughout Mr.
Blair’s tenure he prioritized legislation that transformed the lives
of citizens. Under Mr. Blair’s leadership the UK Government
introduced the National Minimum Wage and civil partnerships;
revitalized public services, particularly health care and education
through a program of investment and reform; increased maternity
leave and pay; lifted the young and old out of poverty; and passed
equality and human rights legislation.
Since leaving office, Mr. Blair has spent most of his time working
in the Middle East and Africa, and on the fight against religiously
based extremism. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change is
supporting the next generation of leaders to meet some of the most
difficult challenges they face today: helping countries alleviate
poverty, raise living standards, foster religious and cultural
tolerance, and advance peace and reconciliation. The Institute is
also driving forward practical policy solutions to meet some of
these challenges and re-kindle a vision of optimism for the future.
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 Mr. Blair will add the Lincoln
Leadership Prize to other honors he has received including the
Congressional Gold Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the
Liberty Medal.
He also was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the
World by TIME magazine in 2008. Mr. Blair obtained his B.A. in Jurisprudence
from St. John’s College, Oxford, and then became a member of The Honourable
Society of Lincoln’s Inn and enrolled as a pupil barrister. His political career
began in 1983 when he was elected a Member of Parliament for Sedgefield and went
on to become the leader of the Labour Party in 1994 and Prime Minister in 1997.
“It is fitting that Mr. Blair be the first British citizen to receive this
coveted prize, since President Lincoln had his own English roots. He was a
descendant of Samuel Lincoln, an Englishman who migrated from Hingham, Norfolk,”
said Dr. Carla Knorowski, Chief Executive Officer of ALPLF.
Since 2006, the ALPLF has awarded the Lincoln Leadership Prize to 10 prestigious
individuals who serve in the Lincoln tradition. Previous honorees include
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Civil Rights
Activists The Little Rock Nine, Filmmaker Steven Spielberg, 42nd President of
the United States Bill Clinton, former Polish President Lech Walesa, Journalist
Tim Russert, Astronaut James Lovell, Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Supreme
Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
This event is only one of many the ALPLF and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library and Museum will host as part of the yearlong celebration of the 200th
anniversary of Illinois, the Land of Lincoln, which formally became a state
December 3, 1818. The annual event also serves as the primary fundraiser for the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation for the benefit of the Museum
and Library, which is not a part of the National Archives Records
Administration’s federal system of presidential libraries. For more information
about the Lincoln Leadership Prize please visit www.alplm.org. For tickets
and/or table sponsorship information please call 312/553-2000.
About the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation supports the collections and
the educational and cultural programming of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential
Library and Museum; fosters Lincoln scholarship through the acquisition and
publication of documentary materials relating to Lincoln and his era; and
promotes a greater appreciation of history through exhibits, conferences,
publications, online services, and other activities designed to promote
historical literacy.
[Lisa Soard] |
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