Civil rights honour for Winfrey

Television talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Paul Rusesabagina, whose heroism in the face of genocide inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda, have been named as recipients of the US National Civil Rights Museum’s annual Freedom Awards, officials said today.

The announcement was made during a news conference at the museum, which was built around the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968.

Rusesabagina, who managed a Belgian hotel in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, when civil war broke out in 1994, is receiving the International Freedom Award. Previous recipients of the award include former South African President Nelson Mandela and rock star Bono.

As thousands were massacred throughout the country, Rusesabagina hid 1,268 people in the hotel to keep them safe from Hutu extremist militias and soldiers who killed more than 500,000 minority Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus.

His story inspired the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda,” for which actor Don Cheadle, who portrayed Rusesabagina, was awarded an Academy Award.

Winfrey, who runs a media company that includes her television show and a magazine, is being honoured with the National Freedom Award. Previous recipients include King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, and former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Neither recipient was at today’s announcement. They are expected to attend a banquet in their honour in November.

The museum gives out freedom awards annually to recipients who have worked to advance civil rights.