The Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award (BWD or Bishop Walker Dinner) is an award presented annually by Africare

Africare

Africare is a non-profit organization based in the United States which provides development aid for Africa. Africare was founded in 1970 by former Peace Corps members who had worked in eastern Niger, as well as a Nigerian diplomat. Africare now provides aid for approximately 25 countries in every...

 to recognize those whose work has made a significant impact on raising the standard of living in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

. The award is named after John T. Walker

John T. Walker

John Thomas Walker was Bishop of Washington from 1977 to 1989 in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. From 1978 to 1989, he also served as Dean of Washington National Cathedral. Previously, he served as Bishop Coadjutor from 1976 to 1977 and Bishop Suffragan from 1971 to 1976...

, former Episcopal Bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and Africare board member. Each year, the Africare Bishop John T. Walker Memorial Dinner brings together more than 2,000 people — African heads of state, ministers of commerce and foreign affairs, leaders from the African Union and the United Nations, U.S. government leaders, diplomats, corporate executives, leaders of national organizations and private individuals — who share one focus: They care about Africa.

This is the largest annual event for Africa in the United States, with proceeds supporting the work of Africare. The Dinner is a top multicultural affair as well, embracing all races and a wide array of cultures and nationalities from around the world. The Dinner also honors outstanding humanitarians through the presentation of Africare's Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award.

Bishop John T. Walker

Whether it was his church or any of the causes he served, Bishop Walker was concerned with people, with their welfare and with helping them grow as human beings. He used his gifts as a mediator and a peacemaker to bring about lasting changes within both institutions and individuals.

Bishop Walker came to Washington in 1966 as Canon of the Washington Cathedral, with special responsibility for its ministry to the community. He was elected Suffragan Bishop of Washington on May 1, 1971, and became the sixth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington on July 3, 1977.

"I know some people get disheartened, and I know some people want to throw in the sponge and give up, but I can't do that. My feeling is too strong that it's God's will that we live together in harmony and peace. It's God's will that we grow beyond our racial animosties and that we must commit ourselves to continue that work. That's why I am here. I am not here for any other reason."

Past honorees

1992	Desmond Tutu Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
1993	Sargent Shriver Sargent Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent Shriver, R. Sargent Shriver, or, from childhood, Sarge, was an American statesman and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family, serving in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations...
1994	Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
1995	Leon Sullivan Leon Sullivan Leon Howard Sullivan was a Baptist minister, a civil rights leader and social activist focusing on the creation of job training opportunities for African-Americans, a longtime General Motors Board Member, and an anti-Apartheid activist. Sullivan died on April 24, 2001, of leukemia at a Scottsdale,...
1996	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
1997	Dorothy I. Height
1998	Andrew Young Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
1999	Graca Machel Graça Machel Graça Machel, DBE is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the third wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela and the widow of Mozambican president Samora Machel...
2000	James Wolfensohn James Wolfensohn Sir James David Wolfensohn AO KBE FKC was the ninth president of the World Bank Group.-Early life:James Wolfensohn was born in Sydney, Australia, on 1 December 1933...
2001	Louis W. Sullivan
2002	Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
2003	Bill Gates Bill Gates William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...  and Melinda Gates Melinda Gates Melinda Ann French , later known as Melinda French Gates, is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the wife of Bill Gates...
2004	Richard G. Lugar and Donald M. Payne Donald M. Payne Donald Milford "Don" Payne is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district encompasses most of the city of Newark, parts of Jersey City and Elizabeth, and some suburban communities in Essex and Union counties...
2005	Colin L. Powell
2006	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
2008	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

|2009 || John Legend

John Legend

John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...

BWD 2006

• The Honoree: Bill Clinton
  Bill Clinton
  William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
  
  
• Main Theme: Orphans and Vulnerable Children "OVC"
• Corporate Sponsor: United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS)
• Date of Event: Oct 18, 2006

At BWD 2006, held on October 18, Africare presented the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award to former President Clinton for his outstanding contributions to peace, justice, and economic opportunity worldwide. The event also highlighted Africare's leading work meeting the needs of children in Africa who have lost one parent or both parents due to HIV/AIDS or through other tragic circumstances.

BWD 2005

• The Honoree: Colin L. Powell
• Main Theme: Africare 35th Anniversary
• Corporate Sponsor: Shell Oil Company
  Shell Oil Company
  Shell Oil Company is the United States-based subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest oil companies in the world. Approximately 22,000 Shell employees are based in the U.S. The head office in the U.S. is in Houston, Texas...
  
  
• Date of Event: Oct 13, 2005

BWD 2004

• The Honoree: Senator Richard G. Lugar and Congressman Donald M. Payne
  Donald M. Payne
  Donald Milford "Don" Payne is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district encompasses most of the city of Newark, parts of Jersey City and Elizabeth, and some suburban communities in Essex and Union counties...
  
  
• Main Theme: "Through the Eyes of a Child"
• Corporate Sponsor: ChevronTexaco Corporation
• Date of Event: Nov 5, 2004

BWD 2003

• The Honoree: Bill Gates
  Bill Gates
  William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
  
   and Melinda Gates
  Melinda Gates
  Melinda Ann French , later known as Melinda French Gates, is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the wife of Bill Gates...
  
  
• Main Theme: Fighting HIV/AIDS
• Corporate Sponsor: The Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, M.D.
• Date of Event: Oct 9, 2003

BWD 2002

• The Honoree: Harry Belafonte
  Harry Belafonte
  Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
  
  
• Main Theme: Combating HIV/AIDS and poverty
• Corporate Sponsor: Archer Daniels Midland Company
• Date of Event: Oct 24, 2002

BWD 2001

• The Honoree: The Honorable Louis W. Sullivan, M.D.
• Main Theme: Victims of HIV/AIDS in Africa
• Corporate Sponsor: The Honorable James A. Harmon
• Date of Event: Nov 6, 2001

BWD 2000

• The Honoree: James David Wolfensohn
• Main Theme: Combating AIDS in Africa
• Corporate Sponsor: Eastman Kodak Company
• Date of Event: Oct 19, 2000

BWD 1999

• The Honoree: Graca Simbine Machel
• Main Theme: The 10th Anniversary Bishop Walker Dinner
• Corporate Sponsor: SBC Communications Inc.
• Date of Event: Sep 27, 1999

BWD 1998

• The Honoree: The Honorable Andrew Young
  Andrew Young
  Andrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
  
  
• Main Theme: Hunger and Poverty
• Corporate Sponsor: Chevron Corporation
  Chevron Corporation
  Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
  
  
• Date of Event: Oct 29, 1998

BWD 1997

• The Honoree: Dorothy Irene Height
• Main Theme: Women of Africa & Building a future
• Corporate Sponsor: Discovery Communications, Inc.
• Date of Event: Oct 23, 1997

BWD 1996

• The Honoree: The honorable Jimmy Carter
  Jimmy Carter
  James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
  
  
• Main Theme: Africare's 25th Anniversary and A tribute to Jimmy Carter
• Corporate Sponsor: SmithKline Beecham
• Date of Event: Oct 17, 1996

BWD 1995

• The Honoree: The Reverend Leon Howard Sullivan
• Main Theme: "A Celebration of Democracy in Africa"
• Corporate Sponsor: Cookson Group, plc
• Date of Event: Oct 19, 1995

BWD 1994

• The Honoree: Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Mandela
  Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
  
  
• Main Theme:
• Corporate Sponsor: AT&T
  AT&T
  AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
  
  
• Date of Event:

BWD 1993

• The Honoree: Sargent Shriver
  Sargent Shriver
  Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent Shriver, R. Sargent Shriver, or, from childhood, Sarge, was an American statesman and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family, serving in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations...
  
  
• Main Theme:
• Corporate Sponsor: Cookson Group, plc
• Date of Event:

BWD 1992

• The Honoree: Archbishop Desmond Tutu
  Desmond Tutu
  Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
  
  
• Main Theme: "Celebrating the commitment to African development and cultural diversity"
• Corporate Sponsor: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
  Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
  Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America , founded in 1958, is a trade group representing the pharmaceutical research and biopharmaceutical companies in the United States. PhRMA's stated mission is advocacy for public policies that encourage the discovery of new medicines for patients...
  
   (PhrMA)
• Date of Event: Oct 15, 1992

BWD 1991

• No Honoree
• Main Theme: "Celebrating the commitment to African development and cultural diversity"
• Corporate Sponsor: IBM Corporation
• Date of Event: Oct 17, 1991

BWD 1990

• No Honoree
• Main Theme: Honoring Bishop John T. Walker
  John T. Walker
  John Thomas Walker was Bishop of Washington from 1977 to 1989 in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. From 1978 to 1989, he also served as Dean of Washington National Cathedral. Previously, he served as Bishop Coadjutor from 1976 to 1977 and Bishop Suffragan from 1971 to 1976...
  
  
• Corporate Sponsor: The Coca-Cola Company
  The Coca-Cola Company
  The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
  
  
• Date of Event: Oct 18, 2006

External links

• Africare Bishop John T. Walker Memorial Dinner website