First South Asian American to get the award
By Bala Chandran
WASHINGTON, DC: Prominent Indian American entrepreneur and civic leader Frank Islam received the Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award for International Service at annual breakfast event here on Sunday.
The award was presented to Islam by Harry Johnson, Harry Johnson, president of The Memorial Foundation Inc. and one of the honorary vice chairs of the event, which was held at Willard Intercontinental.
“I feel doubly blessed to be given this honor because of the indelible connection between Dr. King and that other famous civil and human rights leader from my homeland of India, Mahatma Gandhi,” Islam, who came to the United States as a student in the 1970s, said in his brief remarks.
He added that both King and Gandhi “have been beacons to me in my personal life and charitable and philanthropic involvement.”
Speaking to The American Bazaar, the resident of Potomac, MD, said the award was especially important to him because of its emphasis on “peace and nonviolence.”
“More lives have been lost in the past 100 years than at any given point in time,” he said. “Whether it is in the name of religion, nationalism or any other extremist ideology, thousands are being killed every year. This award, which carries the name and legacy Martin Luther King, Jr., an apostle of peace, is about building bridges and serving humanity.”
Islam, a big Democratic Party supporter, is the first South Asian American to receive the honor.
Last year, he was appointed to the board of Trustees of the Kennedy Center by President Obama. He also serves on the International Advisory Committee of the US Institute of Peace.
Rep. John Conyers, Jr., D-Mich., was another honoree. About 30 diplomats from various countries and dozens of dignitaries attended the event.