About the Awards
The Four Freedoms Awards are presented to men and women whose achievements have demonstrated a commitment to the principles which President Roosevelt proclaimed in his historic speech to Congress on January 6, 1941, as essential to democracy: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear.
The Roosevelt Institute has awarded the Four Freedoms Medals to some of the most distinguished Americans and world citizens of our time, including Presidents Truman, Carter, and Clinton; H.R.H. Princess Juliana of the Netherlands; Nelson Mandela; J. William Fulbright; Arthur Miller; and Desmond Tutu. The Awards are presented in New York every other year; international awards are given by the Roosevelt Stichting of the Netherlands on alternate years.
FOUR FREEDOMS AWARDS LAUREATES 2020
Like many other events, the Four Freedoms Awards ceremony had to be postponed on April 14 in Middelburg because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
People all over the world are confronted with the consequences of this pandemic. Millions of people live with the limitations of various forms of lockdown, which are supposed to stop the spread of the virus, hundreds of thousands of people have been infected by the virus, and thousands have died as a result.
These are definitely challenging times. With his positive vision of a world based on 4 freedoms, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt contrasted hope and faith with bitterness and fear in his own time. Following his example, the Four Freedoms Awards Laureates 2020 and the Roosevelt Foundation want to bring a message of hope to all those who now also live in fear and are limited in their freedom as a result of the pandemic and express their support to all those who are committed to their fellow man in this difficult time.
Past Laureates
2019
Watch the event livestream here.
Freedom Medal Lonnie Bunch
Freedom of Speech and Expression The Boston Globe
Freedom of Worship Krista Tippett
Freedom from Want Franklin Thomas
Freedom from Fear Sandy Hook Promise
2017
Freedom Medal Harry Belafonte
Freedom of Speech Dan Rather
Freedom of Worship Dr. Bashar A. Shala and Pastor Steve Stone
Freedom from Want Ai-jen Poo
Freedom from Fear Cristina Jiménez Moreta
2015
Freedom Medal The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Freedom of Speech Arthur Mitchell
Freedom of Worship Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II
Freedom from Want Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade
Freedom from Fear Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation
2013
Freedom Medal Wendell Berry
Freedom of Speech Paul Krugman
Freedom of Worship Sister Simone Campbell
Freedom from Want Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Freedom from Fear Ameena Matthews
2012
Freedom Medal Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Freedom of Speech Al Jazeera
Freedom of Worship His All Holiness Archbishop Bartholomew I
Freedom from Want Ela Ramesh Bhatt
Freedom from Fear Hussain al-Shahristani
2011
Freedom Medal Russell D. Feingold
Freedom of Speech Michael J. Copps
Freedom of Worship Rev. Barry W. Lynn
Freedom from Want Jacqueline Novogratz
Freedom from Fear Bryan A. Stevenson
2010
Freedom Medal European Court of Human Rights
Freedom of Speech Novaya Gazeta
Freedom of Worship Asma Jahangir
Freedom from Want Maurice Strong
Freedom from Fear Gareth Evans
2009
Freedom Medal Hillary Clinton
Freedom of Speech Anthony Romero
Freedom of Worship Eboo Patel
Freedom from Want Vicki Escarra
Freedom from Fear Pasquale D’Amuro
2008
Freedom Medal Richard von Weizsacker
Freedom of Speech Lakhdar Brahimi
Freedom of Worship Karen Armstrong
Freedom from Want Jan Egeland
Freedom from Fear War Child Netherlands
2008
Special Presentation
Freedom Medal Forrest Church
2007
Freedom Medal Carl Levin & Richard Lugar
Freedom of Speech Bill Moyers
Freedom of Worship Peter J. Gomes
Freedom from Want Barbara Ehrenreich
Freedom from Fear Brent Scowcroft
2006
Special Presentation
Freedom of Speech Mike Wallace
2006
Freedom Medal Mohamed ElBaradei
Freedom of Speech Carlos Fuentes
Freedom of Worship The Taize Community
Freedom from Want Muhammad Yunus
Freedom from Fear Aung San Suu Kyi
2005
Freedom Medal President William J. Clinton
Freedom of Speech Tom Brokaw
Freedom of Worship Cornel R. West
Freedom from Want Marsha J. Evans
Freedom from Fear Lee H. Hamilton and Thomas J. Kean
2005
Special Presentation
Freedom Medal The Lady Soames, LG, DBE
Freedom of Speech The BBC World Service
2004
Special Presentation
Freedom from Want Anton Rupert
Freedom from Fear Robert J. Dole
2004
Freedom Medal Kofi Annan
Freedom of Speech Lennart Meri
Freedom of Worship Sari Nusselbeh
Freedom from Want Marguerite Barankitse
Freedom from Fear Max Kohnstamm
2003
Freedom Medal George J. Mitchell
Freedom of Speech Studs Terkel
Freedom of Worship Robert F. Drinan
Freedom from Want Dolores Huerta
Freedom from Fear Robert C. Byrd
2003
Special Presentation
Freedom Medal Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
2002
Freedom Medal President Nelson Mandela
Freedom of Speech Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Freedom of Worship Nasr H. Abu Zayd
Freedom from Want Gro Harlem Brundtland
Freedom from Fear Ernesto Zedillo
2002
Special Presentation
Freedom Medal William J. vanden Heuvel
2001
Freedom Medal & Freedom from Fear
The Veterans of World War II
Richard D. Winters (US Army)
Robert E. Bush (US Navy)
William T. Ketcham (US Marine Corps)
Lee A. Archer, Jr. (US Air Force)
Ellen Buckley (US Army Nurse Corps)
Freedom of Speech New York Times & Ochs/Sulzberger Family
Freedom of Worship Johnnie Rebecca Carr
Freedom from Want The March of Dimes
2000
Freedom Medal Martti Ahtisaari
Freedom of Speech Bronislaw Geremek
Freedom of Worship Cicely Saunders
Freedom from Want Monkombu S. Swaminathan
Freedom from Fear Louise Arbour
1999
Freedom Medal The Hon. Edward M. Kennedy
Freedom of Speech The Hon. John Lewis
Freedom of Worship The Hon. Corinne C. Boggs
Freedom from Want The Hon. George S. McGovern
Freedom from Fear Robert O. Muller
1998
Freedom Medal President Mary Robinson
Freedom of Speech CNN
Freedom of Worship The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu
Freedom from Want Stephane Hessel
Freedom from Fear Craig Kielburger
1997
Freedom Medal Katharine Meyer Graham
Freedom of Speech The Hon. Sidney R. Yates
Freedom of Worship The Hon. William H. Gray
Freedom from Want The Hon. Mark O. Hatfield
Freedom from Fear The Hon. Daniel K. Inouye
1996
Freedom Medal His Majesty Juan Carlos of Spain
Freedom of Speech John Hume
Freedom of Worship The Right Reverend Lord Runcle
Freedom from Want Médecins Sans Frontières
Freedom from Fear President Shimon Peres
1995
Freedom Medal President Jimmy Carter
Freedom of Speech Mary McGrory
Freedom of Worship Andrew Young
Freedom from Want Lane Kirkland
Freedom from Fear Elliott Richardson
1995
Special Presentation
Freedom Medal Jonas Salk
Freedom Medal Ruud Lubbers
1994
Freedom Medal His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Freedom of Speech Marion Countess Donhoff
Freedom of Worship Gerhart M. Riegner
Freedom from Want Mrs. Sadako Ogata
Freedom from Fear Zdravko Grebo
1993
Freedom Medal The Hon. Cyrus Vance
Freedom of Speech Arthur Miller
Freedom of Worship Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh
Freedom from Want Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver
Freedom from Fear George Ball
1992
Freedom Medal The Hon. Javier Perez de Cuellar
Freedom of Speech Mstislav Rostropovich
Freedom of Worship Terry White
Freedom from Want Jan Tinbergen
Freedom from Fear The Right Honorable Lord Carrington
1991
Freedom Medal The Hon. Thurgood Marshall
Freedom of Speech James B. Reston
Freedom of Worship The Right Reverend Paul Moore, Jr.
Freedom from Want Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward
Freedom from Fear Mike Mansfield
1990
Freedom Medal President Vaclav Havel
Freedom of Speech Jacques DeLors
Freedom of Worship Lazlo Tokes
Freedom from Want Emile van Lennep
Freedom from Fear Simon Wiesenthal
1990
Special Presentation
Freedom Medal President Mikhail Gorbachev
1989
Freedom Medal William J. Brennan, Jr.
Freedom of Speech Walter Cronkite
Freedom of Worship Raphael Lemkin (posthumously), Herman Bookbinder
Freedom from Want Dr. Dorothy I. Height
Freedom from Fear J. William Fulbright
1988
Freedom Medal Helmut Schmidt
Freedom of Speech President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Freedom of Worship Teddy Kollek
Freedom from Want Dr. Halfdan T. Mahler
Freedom from Fear Dr. Armand Hammer
1987
Freedom Medal The Hon. Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr.
Freedom of Speech Herbert Block
Freedom of Worship Rev. Leon Sullivan
Freedom from Want Mary Lasker
Freedom from Fear Dr. George Kennan
1986
Freedom Medal President Allesandro Pertini
Freedom of Speech El Pais
Freedom of Worship Bernardus Cardinal Alfrink
Freedom from Want The Hon. Bradford Morse
Freedom from Fear Olof Palme
1985
Freedom Medal The Hon. Claude Pepper
Freedom of Speech Dr. Kenneth B. Clark
Freedom of Worship Elie Wiesel
Freedom from Want Dr. John Kenneth Galbraith
Freedom from Fear Dr. Isidor Rabi
1984
Freedom Medal Harold MacMillan
Freedom of Speech Amnesty International
Freedom of Worship Werner Leich, Christiann F. Beyers Naude
Freedom from Want Liv Ullman
Freedom from Fear Brian Urquhart
1983
Freedom Medal The Hon. W. Averell Harriman
Freedom of Speech Joseph L. Rauh, Jr.
Freedom of Worship Coretta Scott King
Freedom from Want The Hon. Robert S. McNamara
Freedom from Fear The Hon. Jacob K. Javits
1982
Freedom Medal HRH Princess Juliana of the Netherlands
Freedom of Speech Max van der Stoel
Freedom of Worship William A. Visser ‘t Hooft
Freedom from Want H. Johannes Witteveen
Freedom from Fear J. Herman van Roijen