Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony Honors Professor Muhammad Yunus

Professor Muhammad Yunus was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts to combat global poverty. Congressional leaders, Speaker of the House John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi gathered to present the award. Not pictured, Representative Rush Holt, Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Michael Enzi and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen also endorsed the bill. Nancy Pelosi addressed supporters, “Together, we have made Muhammad Yunus’ simple idea a cornerstone of our comprehensive approach to fighting global poverty – knowing that our efforts to improve health and education are most successful when we foster new businesses and economic growth. Professor Yunus joins an elite group of honorees including Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Elie Wiesel, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Norman Borlaug who have received this award, as well as the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Nobel Peace Prize. A visionary of social change, Professor Yunus preached to Congressmen, Grameen supporters and empowered students, “Ideas change the world, not money. If you imagine it will happen.” Watch Ceremony here.