"Through the Bradley Prizes, we recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions and we hope to encourage others to strive for excellence in their respective fields," said Mr. Grebe, president and CEO of the Bradley Foundation.
Hernando de Soto, who founded a think tank called the Institute for Liberty and Democracy, will be honored with the 2006 Bradley Prize for his outstanding achievements. According to a Bradley Foundation press release, de Soto has played an important part in modernizing Peru's economic system. Named as an "innovator who will reinvent the future" by Forbes magazine, this economist has devoted his life to preserving economic freedom.
Another prize will be awarded to Johns Hopkins University Prof. Fouad Ajami. He is called one of the most influential Arab-Americans intellectuals of his generation. He has worked with the foundation to promote liberty, democracy, equality, and democratic capitalism. "Professor Ajami is one of the leading thinkers in his field and enjoys worldwide respect," said Grebe.
Dr. Ajami is also the author of several books and is a consultant on Middle-Eastern Affairs for CBS News.
The third recipient is Clint Bolick, the President and General Counsel of the Alliance for School Choice. Bolick was recognized by American Lawyer as one of the nation's three lawyers of the year due to his legal work involving school choice. He is being honored for "his tireless fight for school choice and justice in education" according to Grebe. He has written Voucher Wars: Waging the Legal Battle Over School Choice and his next book, David's Hammer: The Case for an Activist Judiciary, will be published in 2006.
The final honor goes to Shelby Steele of the Hoover Institution. Steele is a Senior Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and specializes in race relations, American social culture and politics. He was chosen because of his devotion to equality and studies of race in America. He received the National Book Critic's Circle Award for "The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America."
These selections were based on nominations from over 100 prominent individuals. The awards will be presented at a ceremony to be held Thursday, May 25 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Each award carries a stipend of $250,000.
