Mayor Who Removed Confederate Monuments To Get JFK 'Profile In Courage' Award

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has been named the 2018 winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his leadership in removing four Confederate monuments in the city.

The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced Tuesday that in addition to taking the monuments down, Landrieu offered "clear and compassionate reflections on the moment and its place in history."

President Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, is scheduled to present the award at a ceremony on May 20 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

"Mayor Landrieu turned a difficult and divisive issue into an opportunity to reflect on our nation's history and to recommit ourselves to our founding principles of equality and justice," Schlossberg said in a statement. "The Mayor explained what the monuments represent – a dark chapter in our history that should neither be forgotten, misunderstood and nor glorified."

The award has been presented annually since 1989 to public servants who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences. It is named for Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Profiles in Courage."

Last year's winner was former President Barack Obama.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)