2022 New Frontier Award Recipients
Climate leader Jasmine Davenport and Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba received the 2022 John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards, joining a prominent list of young elected and public service leaders.
Our Climate Executive Director Jasmine Davenport (formerly Sanders) received the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award for her leadership in galvanizing young people across the country to advocate for environmental justice. Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the youngest mayor in the history of the city, was also honored with the New Frontier Award for his efforts to implement progressive policies to improve the lives of all the citizens in the city of Jackson. The awards were presented by Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson, during a ceremony on March 26, 2022 at the Campaign Conference at the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, which was held virtually this year.
“With his vision for a New Frontier, President Kennedy challenged young Americans to take on great challenges, solve complex problems and work for a better future,” said Schlossberg, who is a member of the New Frontier Awards Committee. “Jasmine Davenport and Mayor Lumumba have each answered President Kennedy’s call to action in our time, taking on some of the greatest challenges facing our country today. Their courage is a reminder that each of us can make a difference.”
Learn more about the recipients.
About the Awards
The John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards® were created by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and The Institute of Politics at Harvard University to honor Americans under the age of 40 who are changing their communities and the country with their commitment to public service. The awards are presented annually to two exceptional individuals whose contributions as full-time public servants in elective office, community service, or advocacy demonstrate the impact and the value of public service in the spirit of John F. Kennedy.
One award honors an elected official whose work in politics has brought significant, tangible results in response to a public challenge. The other New Frontier Award® honors an individual whose contributions in the realm of community service, advocacy or grassroots activism have had a positive impact on a broad public policy issue or challenge.
The recipients of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards are role models for a new generation of public servants. They demonstrate the qualities President Kennedy embodied and admired: civic mindedness, pragmatism, vision and tenacity in identifying and addressing public challenges.
