Bono to receive Liberty Medal in Philadelphia

A live webcast from Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center is scheduled as Bono, U2 lead singer and activist and DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) - the advocacy organization he co-founded - are honoured with the Center’s 2007 Liberty Medal on Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The ceremony will be streamed on Libertymedal.org beginning at 7:00 p.m., making the event available to a worldwide audience for the first time. A condensed version of the ceremony will be available later that night on Constitutioncenter.org

The Liberty Medal is an annual Philadelphia tradition given and administered by the National Constitution Center. This prestigious prize is bestowed to those who advance the cause of liberty around the world. The Medal’s roster of recipients includes many of the men, women, and organizations that have shaped and guided the world through the past two decades, including Nelson Mandela, Sandra Day O’Connor, Kofi Annan, Shimon Peres, and Colin Powell

The prestigious Liberty Medal, and its accompanying $100,000 prize, will recognize Bono and DATA’s groundbreaking work in raising awareness about and spurring a global response to the crisis of AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa.

Established in 1988 by We the People 2000 to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, the Liberty Medal annually honours an individual or an organization from anywhere in the world that has “demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of liberty of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance or deprivation”. Since 2006, the National Constitution Center has administered the Liberty Medal, which includes the annual presentation of the award and a host of supplemental programs and activities designed to extend the Medal’s reach throughout the year.

The National Constitution Center, Constitutioncenter.org, located at 525 Arch St. on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and values it represents. The Center serves as a museum, an education center, and a forum for debate on constitutional issues.

The museum, located in Philadelphia’s Historic District dramatically tells the story of the Constitution from Revolutionary times to the present through more than 100 interactive, multimedia exhibits, film, photographs, text, sculpture and artifacts, and features a powerful, award-winning theatrical performance, “Freedom Rising”.

The Center also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, which serves as the hub for national constitutional education.

In the past, Philadelphia has been the chosen US city to host other major international events such as LiveAid in 1985 and Live8 in 2005.

For more information on Philadelphia, visit PhiladelphiaUSA.travel.