Former Gov. William Winter is one of three people receiving the coveted John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Monday in Boston for his “courageous decisions of conscience” during his lifetime. “Governor William Winter gives testimony to President Kennedy’s belief that politics can truly be a noble profession,” Caroline Kennedy said in a statement. “His lifetime of public service, both to his country and his beloved state of Mississippi, has been distinguished by its devotion to equality and justice. We are proud to honor him with a Profile in Courage Award for lifetime achievement.” Winter is being honored with the lifetime achievement award. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner are also receiving Profile in Courage awards.
Click here to read more about the award. From the site:
The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is presented annually to public servants who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences. The award is named for President Kennedy’s 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, which recounts the stories of eight U.S. senators who risked their careers, incurring the wrath of constituents or powerful interest groups, by taking principled stands for unpopular positions. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation created the Profile in Courage Award™ in 1989 to honor President Kennedy’s commitment and contribution to public service. It is presented in May in celebration of President Kennedy’s May 29th birthday. The Profile in Courage Award is represented by a sterling-silver lantern symbolizing a beacon of hope. The lantern was designed by Edwin Schlossberg and crafted by Tiffany & Co.
Previous Comments
Awesome, congrats to Gov. Winter. I met him a couple of weeks ago and he was just the nicest, wisest man I have ever met.
#129562 | Author: andi | Date: May 9 2008
Indeed. He is one of my top-tier idols.
#129563 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: May 9 2008
I just got this fun e-mail from a friend: I just knew you’d love this. I just returned from lunch at Two Sisters’ where Gov. Winter was seated next to me, enjoying his vegetable plate and reading Lynch’s cover story about Bingo Hall gambling. I only wish I had known of this JFK award then so I could have congratulated him. Funny thing is that the iTodd and I just Two Sisters, too, but we went late and missed them all! We had veggie plates, too. And got our banana puddings to go, should anyone care. 😉
#129564 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: May 9 2008
Oh, and I got an invitation to this event. I so wish I could be there. Last weekend, I was in NYC. Had it been a week later, I would have Amtrakked to Boston. How fun would that have been? 😉
#129565 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: May 9 2008
That would have been awesome, too bad the timing was not quite right!! I was in Boston this time last year, it was beautiful! Would love to go back there and NYC. I just returned from lunch at Two Sisters’ where Gov. Winter was seated next to me, enjoying his vegetable plate and reading Lynch’s cover story about Bingo Hall gambling. I only wish I had known of this JFK award then so I could have congratulated him. See, this is what I like about him. He is just a regular guy, humble and down-to-earth. I bet those veggies were GOOD!
#129566 | Author: andi | Date: May 9 2008
I met Gov. Winter when he came to speak to the JxnProgressives. He was AMAZING. I really had no idea how powerful he was. And I don’t mean like ordinary white man powerful. I mean he had experience oozing from his every breath. He was frank with us about everything he’d accomplished and things that he probably shouldn’t have told us. But he made us understand what it was like for him trying to do right back then. I didn’t even realize he didn’t win until his third attempt. Do you know how strong he must have been as a leader that he’d get the same folk to bag him each time he ran for office????? CONGRATULATIONS Gov. Winter, well deserved. Thanks for informing us of this D-LADD. By the way that’s your new hip-hopish/way cool chic name, do you accept? 🙂
#129568 | Author: Queen601 | Date: May 9 2008
Congrats, Guvnah!
#129571 | Author: LatashaWillis | Date: May 10 2008
Governor Winter is truly a statesman. It can also be said that in his early political life, he was ‘before his time’ given his inclination to do what was right when it was unpopular (and politically detrimental) to do so. All Mississippians should read “The Measure of Our Days” (2006, University Press of Mississippi), a collection of Winter’s writings by Andy Mullins which gives us insight into his progressive political and moral philosophy. It is a sad commentary that nearly 30 years following Winter’s inauguration as Governor, the man who now occupies the Governor’s Mansion seems more intent on promoting racial division than continuing the racial reconciliation efforts for which Winter is receiving the ‘JFK Profiles in Courage’ lifetime achievement award. William Winter: a Mississippi governor we can be proud of!
#129587 | Author: Kacy | Date: May 10 2008
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.
