CAIRO: Egyptian activist Wael Ghonim will be awarded with the annual John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in recognition of his work for democratic reform that inspired similar movements across the Middle East. Ghonim is a Google marketing executive who became a face of the Egyptian Revolution after it became known that he was one of the creators behind the Facebook page of Khaled Said and also of a page calling for a demonstration on January 25. Ghonim will receive the award along with Egyptian people for their courage during the revolution and for inspiring many other movements across the Arab world. The prestigious award that honors “political courage” will be presented by the late U.S. president's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on May 23. The John F Kennedy Library Foundation announced on its website that Elizabeth Redenbaugh, a North Carolina School Board member who fought against racial segregation in school redistricting plans, would share the award with Ghonim on May 23. “From a small county school district in North Carolina to Tahrir Square in Cairo, this year's Profile in Courage honorees show us the importance of individual acts of conscience,” said Caroline Kennedy, president of the foundation. Ghonim was arrested by Egyptian police on January 27 and was released after 12 days in custody. BM
