Elaine Jones Recipients Of Eleanor Roosevelt Award For Human Rights

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund President and Director-Counsel Elaine R. Jones was among the five honorees of the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights, presented by President Clinton during a Human Rights Day ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.

Jones, who has distinguished herself as a leader in the fight against racism and discrimination, became one of the first Black women to defend death-row inmates. In 1989 she became the first Black elected to the American Bar Association Board of Governors.

Other honorees included Tallie Black Bear, who established one of the first shelters for battered women on an Indian reservation; Norman Dorsen, who dedicated 50 years of his life to promoting civil rights; and Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, who was named leader of the 510,000 Roman Catholics who live in the District of Columbia and southeastern Maryland. Frederick Charles Cuny, who spent almost 30 years working to help civilian victims of conflict, was honored posthumously.

"These five Americans have made our nation and the world a better place," Clinton said. "May they continue to inspire and guide us all for years to come."

This year's ceremony marks the 25th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 to affirm the fundamental freedoms and human rights of all people.

Eleanor Roosevelt was the driving force behind the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Eleanor Roosevelt Award was established in 1998 by Clinton to honor Roosevelt's commitment to the principles of the declaration.