WORLD : Honor for Anti-Apartheid Activist
LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II today approved a historic honorary award to outspoken anti-apartheid campaigner Helen Suzman, the longest-serving member of the South African Parliament.
It is considered unusual for the traditional title of honorary Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire to be given to a foreigner.
An official statement said: “For more than 40 years . . . (Suzman’s) record of persistent opposition to discriminatory legislation has earned international respect.” Britain will also fund a new scholarship program for black South Africans entitled the “Helen Suzman Awards” in further recognition of her work.
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