When I learned about this list of honorees, I thought it was a joke. It’s not.
An award named for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, an icon of liberalism and feminism, will be presented to a surprising list of men and women by the Opperman Foundation at the Library of Congress.
A prestigious honor named after liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and originally established to recognize “women of distinction” is being awarded this year to a surprising group of multiple genders that includes Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk and Martha Stewart, among others.
The Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award, also known as the RBG Award, will be presented by the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation at an April 13 gala at the Library of Congress, ITK can reveal.
In addition to conservative media mogul Murdoch, Tesla CEO and X owner Musk, and lifestyle guru Stewart, the award will be given to actor Sylvester Stallone and financier Michael Milken.
First established in 2020 as a recognition solely for women, previous recipients of the RBG Award have included Queen Elizabeth II, singer Barbra Streisand and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.
But this year, organizers expanded the award named after the liberal leader of the Supreme Court to include “trailblazing men and women” who “have demonstrated extraordinary accomplishments in their chosen fields.”
Dwight D. Opperman Foundation chair Julie Opperman said in a statement that Ginsburg “fought not only for women but for everyone.”
The Supreme Court justice, a champion of women’s rights, died in 2020 at 87.
“Going forward, to embrace the fullness of Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, we honor both women and men who have changed the world by doing what they do best,” Opperman said.
Who are Murdoch and Musk “fighting for”?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The old dame must be spinning in her grave. This and all similar awards ought to be able to answer this simple question of all recipients: Cui bono?
Omg and holy cow! SAD and sick.
Did Musk and Murdoch buy up the board?
It’s quite a perversion.
My first thought
RBG is turning over in her grave. They should call this the “Let’s celebrate rich people award.”
Perhaps we can establish the Diane Ravitch award and present it to DeVos.
Or the Bob Sheperd award and present it to David Coleman
Haha! I was thinking along those lines but found the consequences too awful to pursue my thought.
Why not give the RBG award to people who actively betrayed her principles? Maybe I’ll create a foundation and award the Donald J. Trump Prize to Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff, and Cassidy Hutchinson.
A pretty good CNN special on Murdock’s life led one to believe his life has been mostly dedicated to his best friend, Profit Motive. Secondarily, Rightwingery. Seriously, I’m one who is deeply respectful of Ruth Ginsburg. She helped all of us make a big leap forward in human rights. I know what she faced: When I attended Ohio State’s College of Law, in the early ’60’s, we had just one–1–woman in our class!
I knew Profit. That Motive guy you mentioned. He had a sister, Ulterior I dated for awhile.
If truth be known, most of us have flirted with Ulterior Motive at one time or other…
Jonothan Kozol deserves the award –
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/us/jonathan-kozol-school-inequality.html
He supports public schools and busing to fix the broken education system.
He is certainly fighting for those who need support.
Affirmative action will no longer be needed when all children in America have access to schools that are fully functioning like those in middle and upper class neighborhoods.
I hope there is some recourse. Maybe her family could sue or prevent RBG’s name being abused in such a way. just not right!
Lindylu,
I wish the family would sue to prevent the misuse of her name.
We all immediately saw RBG spinning in her grave and that says it all. I think, in the future any woman nominated for this award should decline. These men are the opposite of what she represented.
The “know your place” pill, has always been a hard swallow for those outside the “Chosen Few”.
“Yeesh,” he was quoted as saying.
Posted this on another thread:
“…to embrace the fullness of Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, we honor both women and men who have changed the world by doing what they do best…”
I’m just speculating here, but I am pretty sure that Justice Ginsburg did not want people who “changed the world”, but wanted people who changed the world for the BETTER. But no doubt I am wrong and next year they will be honoring Putin, Netanyahu, Hamas, and Trump. If only Hitler and Osama bin Laden were alive, they could honor them also.
It’s true that their honorees’ actions did “change the world”. But that this foundation invokes RBG’s name as if HOW they changed the world was irrelevant to RBG, is disgusting.
Pretty insulting!
Me thinks, the names on that list are evidence that the extreme right, represented by Traitor Trump, Putin, ALEC, the Federalist Society, and Christian Nationalists, et al, are doing more than infiltrating the courts, Congress, state legislatures and school boards. They are also taking over awards like this one to create role models in their own images.
So, I won’t be surprised with the Russian Orthodox Church makes Putin a saint, if they haven’t already done it.
This!
Miliken, Murdoch, & Musk awarded for what? Financial fraud, lies, & racism? This is more than offensive to accomplished women who previously won the award and to RBG’s legacy. It sure seems like the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation needs money.
I wish the Ginsburg family would step in and remove RBG’s name from this award.
According to thr Washington Post article, Dwight Opperman’s widow has contributed generously to GOP candidates. As we sadly know, money talks.
The RBG award insults her legacy and dishonors her wishes.
it does, indeed. I imagine RBG might have a few well chosen words to say about these awards
“Ginsburg family blasts plan to give RBG Award to Musk, Murdoch, others” Washington Post, March 15, 2024
“The family of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg and some of the Supreme Court justice’s former colleagues have denounced this year’s slate of honorees for an award that a philanthropic foundation bestows in the name of the liberal icon.
In a statement Friday, the family called the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation’s plans to give its “Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award” to conservative billionaires Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch, among others, “an affront to the memory of our mother and grandmother.”