The W. E. B. Du Bois Medal, Harvard University’s highest honor, has been awarded to Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, no one had received the W.E.B. Du Bois medal. The degree conferred by Harvard in the area of African and African American studies is the highest award
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Chimamanda is renowned for both her advocacy for gender equality and her elegant storytelling. She previously served as a Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow from 2011 to 2012 and spoke at the 2018 Harvard College Class Day.
Other recipients of the award include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Laverne Cox, Agnes Guns, Raymond J McGuire, Deval Patrick, and Betye Saar.
A professor of the university and director of the Hutchins center said in a statement that,
“Whether they’ve distinguished themselves in the arts, civic life, education, athletics, activism, or any combination of the above, these medalists show in all that they do their unyielding commitment to pushing the boundaries of representation and creating opportunities for advancement and participation for people who have been too often shut out from the great promise of our times,” it said.
The medal enables Chimamanda to join the list of trailblazing figures who have previously received it, including athlete-activist Colin Kaepernick, Maya Angelou, Nasir “Nas” Jones, Queen Latifah, Ava Duvernay, Dave Chappelle, John Lewis, and Steven Spielberg.
