Since 2020, the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation has given out an award in Ruth Bader Ginsburg's name to women leaders in their respective fields. This year, however, plans for the ceremony were derailed after the foundation opened the award to male recipients — and named controversial billionaires and convicted felons among its recipients.
The foundation came under heavy criticism last week when it named the honorees of this year's RBG Leadership Award, including Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Milken and Sylvester Stallone. Martha Stewart was the only woman who was to be honored at the ceremony at the Library of Congress on April 13.
Among the critics were Ginsburg’s own family members, who wrote a letter to the foundation calling the list of honorees an “affront” to the late Supreme Court justice’s memory. Her son, Jim Ginsburg, told NPR that Musk and Murdoch “are antithetical to everything Mom stood for.”
Last year's recipient, Barbra Streisand, also issued a statement condemning the honorees. "I had the privilege of meeting Justice Ginsburg on several occasions, and I strongly doubt she would approve of these awardees," Streisand wrote.
Musk is, of course, the owner of SpaceX and the social platform X — and has endorsed wildly antisemitic and anti-immigrant conspiracy theories. The foundation had said he was to be awarded for his "entrepreneurship."
Murdoch, who oversaw Fox News' pivot to a right-wing misinformation hub, would be honored as a "media mogul." Milken, who set up a namesake institute to fund medical research after serving prison time for violating U.S. securities laws in the 1980s, was to be recognized for his "philanthropy." (Milken was pardoned by Donald Trump in 2020.)
Stewart, a lifestyle personality, was convicted for insider trading in 2004. And in 2017, actor Stallone was accused of two sexual assaults in 1987 and 1990, although he has repeatedly denied the allegations; prosecutors said in 2018 that there was not enough evidence to charge him.
The strong opposition to the recipients has led the April award ceremony to be scrapped entirely. In a statement on Monday, Julie Opperman, the foundation's chairperson, said they "thought RBG’s teachings regarding EQUALITY should be practiced" and that no consideration was given to politics.
"It is important to note, that the last thing we intended was to offend the family and friends of RBG," she added.