Four African Americans Awarded Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal

Earlier this month the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research at Harvard University awarded its highest honor, the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, to eight individuals. The medal is awarded to individuals of any race who have made a significant contribution to African-American culture. Here are this year’s four African-American winners:

•  Bob Herbert, op-ed columnist at The New York Times;
•  Hugh M. “Brother Blue” Hill, the late performance artist and playwright;
•  Charlayne Hunter-Gault, the journalist who was one of the first two black students at the University of Georgia; and
•  Vernon E. Jordan, former head of the National Urban League and adviser to President Clinton, who is now senior managing director at Lazard Freres & Co.

Other honorees were philanthropists Frank H. Pearl, Daniel Rose and Joanna S. Rose, as well as Princeton University President Shirley M. Tilghman.

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