Today Senator Harris Wofford was honored by President Obama with the Presidential Citizens Medal for his commitment to civil rights and empowering citizens to serve through national service programs and the Peace Corps.

He was given a standing ovation at the Friends of National Service event this week in Washington, D.C. 

Read a blog post from Michael Brown highlighting this extraordinary leader: http://ow.ly/hKNV8

“I feel that my father’s greatest legacy was the people he inspired to get involved in public service and their communities, to join the Peace Corps, to go into space. And really that generation transformed this country in civil rights, social justice, the economy and everything.” 

- Caroline Kennedy 

In honor of Black History Month, we wanted to recognize African American leaders who exemplify City Year’s refreshed organizational values.

1) Service to a Cause Greater than Self: We dedicate ourselves to addressing shared civic challenges through unified action.

Aaron S. Williams, Director of the Peace Corps, is a perfect example of this City Year value. Williams served in the Peace Corps from 1967-1970 and then became the coordinator of minority recruitment and project evaluation officer for the Peace Corps in his hometown of Chicago from 1970-1971. Williams has also done a lot of work supporting international development all over the world outside of the Peace Corps as well.

To learn more about Aaron Williams, click here.