Cohen Congratulates Memphis Political Cartoonist Bill Day on Receiving RFK Journalism Award
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-9) attended the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights 42nd Annual Journalism Awards ceremony to congratulate Memphis political cartoonist Bill Day on receiving an RFK Journalism Award. Day accepted the award last night at George Washington University in a ceremony attended by Ethel Kennedy, John Siegenthaler, Sr., and poet Nikki Giovanni, among other luminaries.
“Bill Day is one of the most talented political cartoonists of all time and a real credit to our city,” said Congressman Cohen. “I can’t think of any political cartoonist more worthy of an RFK Journalism Award than Bill Day. His skills as an artist and his comprehension of current events allow him to creatively and successfully express complex situations in a single picture.”
Syndicated cartoonist Bill Day received the prestigious award for his work to shed light on the continuing problem of infant mortality in America, especially among minority populations. His work has raised public awareness on the topic and led to the introduction of legislation and policy improvements. One of Congressman Cohen’s top legislative priorities is infant mortality; Memphis has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country.
The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards were founded in 1968 by a group of journalists who covered the Senator's presidential campaign. The awards honor outstanding reporting on issues that reflect Robert Kennedy's concerns including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world: insights into the causes, conditions and remedies of injustice and critical analyses of relevant public policies, programs, attitudes and private endeavors.
The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards program is the largest of its kind and one of the few in which winners are determined by their peers. Past winners include The Washington Post, National Public Radio and CBS's "60 Minutes."