November has no doubt been an auspicious month for former president Barack Obama; who released his new memoir, A Promised Land, to record sales, his Vice President during his presidential tenure, Joe Biden, is now President-elect, and now he has a new honor being bestowed on him.
In a statement by ABC News, Obama will receive PEN America’s second annual Voice of Influence Award in recognition of how his writings “have traversed political, social, and ideological bounds and framed a self-reflective humanism that has marked his influence on public life.”
Founded in 1922, PEN America is a nonprofit that works to defend and celebrate free expression through the advancement of literature and human rights
Obama will be honored on December 8 at the literary human rights organization’s annual gala, which will be held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During the ceremony, the 44th President and historian Ron Chernow, a former board president of PEN, will discuss the importance of truth and freedom of expression in a world of misinformation.
“As an organization of writers, we have always seen President Obama not just as a leader, but as one of us: an author,” PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement, according to ABC. “His probing and evocative narratives helped introduce the world to his unique background, and the power of his life experience as a prompt toward a more pluralistic and encompassing society.”
In 2019, filmmaker Ava DuVernay was awarded PEN’s first Voice of Influence Award.
