This year, the DVF Awards will honor five women who are making a difference in their communities and the world, including Anita Hill and Katy Perry.
The 10th annual DVF Awards will take place the evening of April 11 at the Brooklyn Museum.
Hill will be awarded The Lifetime Leadership Award for her strength throughout her career to demand race and gender equality and eradicate sexual harassment. Hill is a University Professor of Law, Public Policy and Women’ Studies at Brandeis University and sits on several boards, including the Commission to Eliminate Sexual Harassment and Advance Equality in the Workplace, the National Women’s Law Center and the Boston Lawyers for Civil Rights.
“This is the right year for her. She’s a wonderful woman. I met her this summer,” said von Furstenberg, adding that Hill’s award is a memory of a painful chapter in American history. “When I saw the documentary and what she was put through….” the designer said of “Anita,” a Netflix film about Hill’s allegations of sexual misconduct against her boss, then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. “Remember, this is a black woman in front of all these white senators talking about the penis and pubic hairs.”
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“She’s such a funny, nice person, yet very serious and very committed,” von Furstenberg said of Hill. “I was very intimidated when I met her.” Von Furstenberg, intimidated? “A little bit.”
Perry will be awarded the Inspiration Award, for using her voice to advocate on behalf of many philanthropic causes. Perry was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2013 and is also a champion for LGBTQ+ equality. She’s been recognized with several different awards for her work, including the Trevor Project’s Hero Award in 2012, the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award in 2016, the Human Rights Campaign’s National Equality Award in 2017, and amfAR’s Award of Courage in 2018.
Von Furstenberg said, “I do the asking for both the lifetime achievement and inspiration awards.” Asked whether a women whom von Furstenberg is not a fan of could get nominated, the designer said, “Oh no, no, no, are you kidding?”
The International Award will be going to Nadia Murad from Iraq, who is a co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize and a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence.
Hadeel Mustafa Anabtawi from Jordan, founder of The Alchemist Lab, an educational center that has offered more than 25,000 children in cities, remote villages and refugee camps the skills they need to explore themselves and the world around them, will also receive the International Award.
The People’s Voice Award is selected by popular vote. All four nominees can be seen at DVFAwards.com. Voting closes March 24.
“For our 10th anniversary of the DVF Awards, I am honored to recognize these extraordinary women who have shown courage, strength and leadership, and have shown us how to make this world a better world,” said von Furstenberg.
Following the program, which features a performance by Chloe x Halle, guests will have the opportunity to visit the exhibit, “Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving.”
Reflecting on this, the 10th anniversary of the DVF Awards, the designer said, “This is something I’m very proud of. I was very shy in the beginning. Even since the beginning, we’ve had incredible people.”