On October 27, 2016, the El-Hibri Foundation held its tenth annual Peace Awards Ceremony to honor three individuals who have demonstrated courageous leadership in advancing inclusion, building capacity, and organizing communities for positive social change.
The three 2016 honorees were:
Eboo Patel, founder of the Interfaith Youth Core, now the largest interfaith organization in North America, reaching nearly 1,000 college campuses over the course of 14 years
Brie Loskota, executive director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, which conducted a program to train over 220 nonprofit leaders across America to become more effective partners in social change
Namira Islam, co-founder of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative (MuslimARC), which works within Muslim communities to foster a deeper appreciation of diversity, reaching over 1,600 people in just two years
In a climate where fear and divisiveness are far too prominent in public discourse, their stories provided much-needed hope and inspiration for people of all backgrounds to celebrate the hard work of advocates for inclusion. These outstanding leaders are continuing to build community despite every attempt around them to divide, and are working to empower future generations of leaders to join them in this movement.
The awards ceremony celebrated the American values of dignity, fairness, and respect to all communities. Comedian and SiriusXM radio host Dean Obeidallah served as Master of Ceremonies for the event.
Missed the ceremony? Check out these photos. You can also watch video clips from the ceremony below.
Opening remarks by EHF President Farhan Latif:
Presentation of Young Leader Award to Namira Islam by NFL player Husain Abdullah and EHF staff member Iffa Kazi:
Presentation of Fearless Ally Award to Brie Loskota by Gold Star parent Khizr Khan and EHF board member Nadia Roumani:
Presentation of El-Hibri Peace Education Prize to Dr. Eboo Patel by Meryl Chertoff of The Aspen Institute and EHF President Farhan Latif: