The Hutchins Center Honors presents the W. E. B. Du Bois Medal Ceremony

close-up photo of fingers clutching the Du Bois Medal, which displays an engraving of W. E. B. Du Bois


Livestream of the 2025 Hutchins Center Honors

The W. E. B. Du Bois Medal is Harvard's highest honor in the field of African and African American studies.

It is awarded to individuals in the United States and across the globe in recognition of their contributions to African and African American culture and the life of the mind. Recipients have included scholars, artists, writers, journalists, philanthropists, and public servants whose work has bolstered the field of African and African American studies.

2025 Hutchins Center Honors W. E. B. Du Bois Medalists

James E. Clyburn
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2025
United States Congressman, South Carolina
James E. Clyburn

Brittney Griner
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2025
Professional Basketball Player & Activist
Brittney Griner

Spike Lee
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2025
Filmmaker, Writer, Producer & Professor
Spike Lee

 

Watch Previous Ceremonies on YouTube

Previous Medalists - Hutchins Center

2013

John Lewis
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2013 (received 2014)
John Lewis

2014

John Lewis
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2013 (received 2014)
John Lewis

2015

Richard D. Cohen
Vice Chair, National Advisory Board
Chairman, Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2013 and 2015
Richard D. Cohen

2016

2017

2018

Pamela Joyner
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2018
MBA '84
Art Collector & Philanthropist
Pamela Joyner

Florence Ladd
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2018
Director Emerita of the Bunting Institute & Professor
Florence Ladd

Bryan Stevenson
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2018
JD '85, MPP '85, LLD '15
Founder / Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative
Bryan Stevenson

2019

Elizabeth Alexander
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2019
Poet, Educator, and President of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Elizabeth Alexander

Sheila C. Johnson
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2019
Philanthropist, Co-Founder of Black Entertainment Television
Sheila C. Johnson

Queen Latifah
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2019
Musical Artist, Producer, Actor
Queen Latifah

Robert F. Smith
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2019
Philanthropist and Founder, Chairman & CEO of Vista Equity Partners
Robert F. Smith

2022

Laverne Cox
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2022
Actress, Producer, LGBT Advocate
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Agnes Gund
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2022
President Emerita of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Founder of Studio in a School
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Raymond J. McGuire
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2022
Business Executive, Philanthropist, Chairman of the Studio Museum in Harlem
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Deval Patrick
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2022
71st Governor of Massachusetts, Civil Rights Leader
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2023

2024

LeVar Burton
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2024
Actor, Director, Education Advocate
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Thelma Golden
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2024
Director & Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem
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Strive Masiyiwa
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2024
African Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
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2025

James E. Clyburn
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2025
United States Congressman, South Carolina
James E. Clyburn

Brittney Griner
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2025
Professional Basketball Player & Activist
Brittney Griner

Spike Lee
W. E. B. Du Bois Medalist, 2025
Filmmaker, Writer, Producer & Professor
Spike Lee

Previous Medalists - Du Bois Institute