On Monday evening, The Nation Institute and The Puffin Foundation awarded the annual $100,000 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship to Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP.) The Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship goes to individuals who have "challenged the status quo through distinctive, courageous, imaginative, and socially responsible work of significance." The prize comes with $100,000. "I'm humbled to be recognized with The Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship and honored to join a distinguished list of past honorees, all of whom have inspired me with their enduring commitment to justice and human rights," Jealous said in a statement. "Our work carries on the legacy of the tremendous visionaries who founded the NAACP -- with the support of The Nation -- more than a century ago. I am proud to stand on their shoulders, along with thousands of NAACPers and our allies, in the fight for racial equality, human rights, and a brighter tomorrow for all Americans." Jealous plans to use the prize money for a college fund for his own children, as well as De'Jaun Davis-Correia, the nephew of Troy Davis. In 2011, Davis-Correia lost his grandmother, his uncle was executed and his mother died of cancer. Jealous is the 13th winner of the award. Previous winners include playwright Tony Kushner; Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards; environmental activists and authors Van Jones and Bill McKibben; Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman; and labor activist Dolores Huerta.
