Philly Takes Pride in Bono

Thu., May. 24, 2007 9:44 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

Philly thinks Bono is even better than the real thing.

The U2 frontman and serial do-gooder has been tapped to receive the City of Brotherly Love's prestigious Liberty Medal this year in honor of his tremendous humanitarian efforts.

In a statement, Bono noted that Philadelphia is where DATA and other advocacy groups launched the ONE campaign, through which more than 2.4 million Americans have pledged their commitment to eradicating poverty across the globe.

"I don't suppose there are enough Liberty Medals to go around, but in truth, those people should all be wearing one, too," he said.

The $100,000 prize that accompanies the honor is already earmarked for Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa, the Washington-based nonprofit the Irish rocker launched in 2002 with politico Bobby Shriver.

The medal will be presented Sept. 27 during a ceremony at the National Constitution Center

Giving the award, which was established in 1988, to Bono will help "attract the notice of young people who might not have paid much attention in the past" to it, said Philly Mayor John Street at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Past winners of the medal, which is given to individuals or organizations that have "demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of liberty of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance or deprivation," include Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter and, last year's honorees, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

Six Liberty Medal recipients have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor Bono has been nominated for three times.

Though Bono is not a public official, he proves that "the office of citizen is the most important in the world," Joseph Torsella, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, said.

Bono has without a doubt been a major force in the fight to get young people to pay attention to the most pressing issues affecting the world today, being the only person in history to be nominated for an Academy Award, a Grammy, a Golden Globe and a Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2005, he shared Time's Persons of the Year cover with billionaire philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates, and this year he guest-edited Vanity Fair's upcoming Africa-themed issue, which hits newsstands early next month.