Oprah Winfrey and Paul Rusesabagina, whose heroism in the face of genocide inspired the movie "Hotel Rwanda," were announced Thursday as recipients of the National Civil Rights Museum's top honors.

The museum, built around the former Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, said Winfrey and Rusesabagina will receive its 2005 Freedom Awards.

Winfrey, who runs a media company that includes her television show, is being recognized for working to improve the lives of poor children in Africa and helping create a U.S. database of convicted child abusers. She will receive the museum's National Freedom Award in November. Past recipients include King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and former Presidents Clinton and Carter.

Rusesabagina will receive the International Freedom Award, which also has been given to Nelson Mandela and Bono.

The museum said a new Lifetime Achievement Award for civil rights activism will be given to actress Ruby Dee and her late husband, Ossie Davis.

--If you haven't yet seen Hotel Rwanda, run, don't walk, to rent it.

Posted by Lawren at July 8, 2005 07:25 AM | Trackbacks (0)

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