ROBERT F. KENNEDY HUMAN RIGHTS NAMES 2022 RIPPLE OF HOPE AWARD LAUREATES

The 54^th annual Ripple of Hope Award ceremony will be held in New York City on December 6

NEW YORK, July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights today announced the winners of its 2022 Ripple of Hope Awards: Frank Baker, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Siris, and Brian Moynihan, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Bank of America. The laureates will be honored on Tuesday, December 6, in New York City.

For nearly 50 years, the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award has honored exemplary leaders across government, business, advocacy, and entertainment who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to social change and worked to protect and advance equity, justice, and human rights. At the helm of major corporations, this year's laureates have prioritized equity, inclusivity, and sustainability in the workplace and the world.

"Each of these laureates has leveraged their platforms in pursuit of the better, more just and equal world my father believed is possible," said Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. "Amidst a difficult year for our country and the world, their work has been a shining example of what can be."

Frank Baker and Brian Moynihan have both been at the forefront of integrating environmental, social, and governance principles into business strategy, committed to responsible investing, and worked to ensure that all individuals receive equitable compensation, representation, and professional opportunities.

"I am deeply honored to receive this award and stand alongside the leaders and human rights defenders who have embodied Robert Kennedy's passion for justice and spirit of humanitarianism over the last 50 years," said Frank Baker, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Siris. "His dedication to overcoming inequality remains relevant and urgent, and we must carry that same dedication with us as we work to create a society that values and uplifts all individuals."

"It's a privilege to be honored with an award that reflects Robert F. Kennedy's commitment to justice and progress," said Brian Moynihan, Chair of the Board and CEO at Bank of America. "I accept this honor on behalf of my Bank of America teammates, who work every day in communities all around the world to help deliver economic opportunity and other important priorities as a society."  

The Ripple of Hope Award is inspired by Robert F. Kennedy's most famous speech, the 1966 Day of Affirmation address he gave in South Africa at the height of apartheid: "Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples to build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Previous winners of the Ripple of Hope Award include Stacey Abrams, Amanda Gorman, former President Barack Obama, Tim Cook, Colin Kaepernick, Dolores Huerta, Desmond Tutu, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, late Congressman John Lewis, Bono, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Robert F. Smith, George Clooney, former President Bill Clinton, then-Vice President Joe Biden.

Learn more about RFK Human Rights and its annual Ripple of Hope Award at RFKHumanRights.org/Awards. 

Frank Baker is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Siris, a private equity firm that invests primarily in technology and telecommunications with more than ~7 billion in assets under management across three institutional funds.  In addition to his responsibilities at Siris, Baker serves as a trustee of the University of Chicago and has been a major supporter of the university's New Leaders Odyssey Scholarships. He is co-chairman of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and a board member of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity.

As Chair of the Board and CEO at Bank of America, Brian Moynihan leads a team of more than 200,000 employees dedicated to the financial wellbeing of individuals, companies, and institutional investors across the United States and around the world. In June of 2020, under his leadership, Bank of America made a $1 billion, four-year commitment to help local communities address economic and racial inequality accelerated by the global pandemic. In addition to his responsibilities at Bank of America, Moynihan is a member of the World Economic Forum's International Business Council, the Financial Services Forum, the Bank Policy Institute, and the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board, as well as other organizations that focus on economic and market trends. He is also a member of the Vatican Council for Inclusive Capitalism and co-chair of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales' Sustainable Markets Initiative. Moynihan frequently speaks to the importance of ESG and pay equity and was instrumental in Bank of America's pledge to raise the minimum wage to $25 by 2025.

We are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that has worked to realize Robert F. Kennedy's dream of a more just and peaceful world since 1968. In partnership with local activists, we advocate for key human rights issues—championing change-makers and pursuing strategic litigation at home and around the world. And to ensure change that lasts, we foster a social-good approach to business and investment and educate millions of students about human rights and social justice.

SOURCE Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights