(RNS) The Dalai Lama will be honored with an international award from the National Civil Rights Museum this fall.
The exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader will receive the International Freedom Award at a Sept. 23 ceremony at a Memphis, Tenn., hotel. The Memphis museum is housed at the former Lorraine Motel, the site of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
“As a living example of Dr. Martin Luther King and Gandhi’s nonviolence in the face of political oppression and suffering, the Dalai Lama demonstrates lifelong peaceful struggle against brutality and injustice,” said Benjamin L. Hooks, chairman of the museum’s board.
“As the Tibetan people mark their 50th year in exile, the Dalai Lama’s struggle serves as an inspiration for social justice movements everywhere.”
At an Oct. 27. ceremony, the museum will honor other award recipients. Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain Mississippi NAACP Field Director Medgar Evers, will receive the National Freedom Award and basketball legend Julius Irving will receive the Legacy Freedom Award.
