Barbra Streisand will receive the 2023 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award at the Library of Congress on April 22, making the singer just the fourth recipient — and first-ever musical artist — to accept the honor.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award named after one of the iconic and pathbreaking Justices ever to serve on the Supreme Court,” Streisand tweeted Wednesday.
I am deeply honored to receive this award named after one of the iconic and pathbreaking Justices ever to serve on the Supreme Court. https://t.co/1QDV0obPAV
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) February 22, 2023
According to the Washington Post, the late Ginsburg was a fan of Streisand, making the singer an especially worthy recipient of the honor; Streisand was the “shortest deliberation we’ve ever had,” Julie Opperman, Chairman of the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation and award creator, told the Post.
Previous awardees include Queen Elizabeth II, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and justice reform advocate and noted philanthropist Agnes Gund.
The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership — established in 2019 before the Supreme Court Justice’s death —recognizes “an extraordinary woman who has exercised a positive and notable influence on society and served as an exemplary role model in both principles and practice.” In honoring Streisand, the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation, which chooses the annual award winner, noted the singer’s “advocacy of a variety of causes, including voting rights, climate change research, and racial and gender equality.”
“Women everywhere have benefited from the brilliance and courage of the Hon. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” Streisand said in a statement to the Washington Post. “She is an inspiration to us all. She devoted her life to advancing equality and justice, and the world is a better place for it. I am so deeply honored to receive an award in the name of such an extraordinary woman, American hero and an icon to the world.”
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“We were honored to present The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award to The Queen of England last year, and we are equally ecstatic this year to honor our own queen of music and film, Barbra Streisand — an unrivaled American cultural icon who has brought her own brand of magic to the entire world,” Julie Opperman added in a statement.
“I made a promise to Justice Ginsburg to help preserve her legacy and to ensure that this award that bears her name continues to recognize strong women leaders who have made the world a better place, and I only wish she was here today to celebrate Ms. Streisand with us.”
