Mtetwa is the first woman to receive the prize and will be honored during a ceremony at the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts scheduled for Nov. 13.
The Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage recognizes individuals who, by standing up for clear moral principles in the social arena, have positively affected public discourse at the risk of their own careers, livelihoods and even their lives.
The selection of Mtetwa comes at a time when government leaders in Zimbabwe are again persecuting human rights defenders.
“I am hoping that the message that will be sent out there is that one can be true to their beliefs regardless of whatever dangers might be lurking in the background,” she wrote in an email. “If more of us were prepared to do this kind of work, it would be more difficult to target them for persecution, and it is my hope that this award will help swell the numbers of people prepared to stand up for what is right.”
Mtetwa has been physically assaulted and has had her life threatened. Still, she continues to champion civil activists and local and international journalists.
She also works to protect the rights of women and children; to preserve the essential rights of peaceful assembly, association and speech; and to help farmers wrongfully evicted from their land by the government.
The prize comes with a $100,000 stipend. Prior recipients include Sam Nunn, William Foege. and John Lewis. The Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation endowed the award in perpetuity.
More information on the prize can be found here: http://ivanallenprize.gatech.edu/home.
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