RBG Award gala canceled, organizers face backlash over 2024 honorees

Mar 19

Lauren Taylor Anchor

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor), William Jackson (Producer), Jonah Applegarth (Video Editor)

This report was created with support from enhanced software.

Bias Distribution Powered by Ground News™

The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation has canceled its Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award gala after controversy and objections from Ginsburg’s family and previous award recipient Barbra Streisand over this year’s choices of recipients. The debate began when the foundation named the 2024 honorees, marking the first year men were included among the awardees in a gesture the foundation said was meant to mirror Ginsburg’s dedication to equality.

pic.twitter.com/SRLd7ZSv7a
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) March 18, 2024

This year’s selection included Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Milken and Martha Stewart, sparking widespread discussion.

Download the SAN app today to stay up-to-date with Unbiased. Straight Facts™.

Point phone camera here

Julie Opperman, chair of the foundation, stated the aim was to recognize leaders from various sectors for their societal contributions, irrespective of political affiliations.

The controversy comes amid legal challenges faced by some nominees.

Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News settled a lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $800 million last year over false 2020 election claims, and it is currently involved in a similar $2.7 billion lawsuit with Smartmatic.

Elon Musk, known for SpaceX, has encountered accusations of antisemitism. Since acquiring Twitter, now renamed X, the platform has been criticized for allowing pro-Nazi content, leading to an advertiser pullout.

Michael Milken, known for the junk bond market scandal in the late ’80s, served time for securities fraud before reinventing himself as a philanthropist. He was pardoned in 2020.

Martha Stewart was incarcerated for five months in 2004-2005 due to her involvement in a stock scandal.

Sylvester Stallone, the star of “Rocky,” has faced several sexual assault accusations, all of which he denies, without any charges filed against him.

“The Foundation is not interested in creating controversy. It is not interested in generating a debate about whether particular honorees are worthy or not,” Chairperson Julie Opperman wrote in a seven-paragraph statement.

Read more here: https://t.co/vWehGFhRAF
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 19, 2024

A former clerk for Ginsburg, who was also the former dean of NYU’s School of Law, raised concerns that the selected honorees do not reflect the values Ginsburg championed. Ginsburg’s family also criticized the foundation for straying from the award’s original mission to honor women known for their empathy, humility and leadership, viewing it as a betrayal of Ginsburg’s legacy.

In light of the backlash, the foundation is reassessing its mission and future direction.

The award was established in 2020 to honor Ginsburg’s advocacy for democratic values and women’s rights, aiming to acknowledge individuals who embody these ideals. Ginsburg died in 2020 at the age of 87.

Tags: Dominion Voting Systems, Twitter, Elon Musk, Supreme Court, Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, X

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE DWIGHT D. OPPERMAN FOUNDATION HAS CANCELED ITS RUTH BADER GINSBURG LEADERSHIP AWARD GALA, FOLLOWING CONTROVERSY AND OBJECTIONS FROM GINSBURG’S FAMILY AND BARBRA STREISAND, A PREVIOUS AWARD RECIPIENT, OVER THIS YEAR’S RECIPIENTS..

THE CONTROVERSY AROSE WHEN THE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCED THE 2024 RECIPIENTS IN A YEAR THAT IT ALSO DECIDED TO INCLUDE MEN AMONG THE HONOREES FOR THE FIRST TIME. A MOVE THE FOUNDATIONS SAID WAS TO REFLECT GINSBURG’S COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY.

ELON MUSK, RUPERT MURDOCH, SYLVESTER STALLONE, MICHAEL MILKEN, AND MARTHA STEWART …WHOSE SELECTION HAS SPARKED DEBATE.

JULIE OPPERMAN, THE CHAIR OF THE FOUNDATION, EXPLAINED THAT THE INTENTION WAS TO HONOR LEADERS ACROSS DIFFERENT FIELDS WHO HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT SOCIETAL CONTRIBUTIONS, WITHOUT POLITICAL BIAS.

RUPERT MURDOCH’S FOX NEWS AGREED TO PAY DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS 800 MILLION DOLLARS LAST YEAR TO SETTLE A LAWSUIT OVER ALLEGATIONS OF SPREADING FALSE 2020 ELECTION CLAIMS. THE OUTLET FACES A SIMILAR LAWSUIT FROM VOTING TECHNOLOGY COMPANY SMARTMATIC FOR $2.7 BILLION.

ELON MUSK, THE BILLIONAIRE BEHIND SPACEX, HAS FACED ACCUSATIONS OF ANTISEMITISM. UNDER HIS OWNERSHIP, \TWITTER — NOW CALLED X — HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR ALLOWING THE SPREAD OF PRO-NAZI CONTENT, LEADING TO ADVERTISERS WITHDRAWING THEIR SUPPORT.

MICHAEL MILKEN, ONCE NOTORIOUS FOR HIS ROLE IN THE JUNK BOND MARKET SCANDAL OF THE LATE ’80S, SERVED TIME FOR SECURITIES FRAUD BEFORE REMAKING HIMSELF AS A PHILANTHROPIST. HE RECEIVED A PRESIDENTIAL PARDON IN 2020.

MARTHA STEWART SPENT FIVE MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON IN 2004-2005 FOR HER INVOLVEMENT IN A STOCK SCANDAL.

SYLVESTER STALLONE, KNOWN FOR HIS ROLE IN “ROCKY,” HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT MULTIPLE TIMES, THOUGH HE DENIES THE ALLEGATIONS AND HAS NEVER BEEN CHARGED.

A FORMER GINSBURG CLERK AND EX-DEAN OF NYU’S SCHOOL OF LAW VOICED CONCERNS, STATING THE CHOSEN HONOREES DID NOT EMBODY THE VALUES GINSBURG STOOD FOR. SIMILARLY, GINSBURG’S FAMILY HAS CRITICIZED THE FOUNDATION FOR MOVING AWAY FROM THE AWARD’S ORIGINAL GOAL OF RECOGNIZING WOMEN WHO EXEMPLIFY EMPATHY, HUMILITY, AND LEADERSHIP, VIEWING IT AS DISRESPECTFUL TO GINSBURG’S MEMORY.

IN RESPONSE TO THE BACKLASH, THE FOUNDATION IS REEVALUATING ITS MISSION AND WHETHER TO CONTINUE.

THE AWARD, ESTABLISHED IN 2020 TO COMMEMORATE GINSBURG’S ADVOCACY FOR DEMOCRATIC VALUES AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS, AIMS TO RECOGNIZE INDIVIDUALS WHO SHARE THESE QUALITIES. GINSBURG PASSED AWAY IN 2020 AT THE AGE OF 87.