LL Cool J, DuVernay To Receive W.E.B. Du Bois Medals

“Selma” director Ava DuVernay and rapper LL Cool J are among the recipients of Harvard University’s 2017 W.E.B. Du Bois medals honoring those who have made significant contributions to African and African-American history and culture.

Matt Sayles/Invision/AP, file – LL Cool J
Speaking on stage at the 56th annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center, in Los Angeles.

The school announced Monday that they will be honored at the fifth-annual Hutchins Center Honors on Oct. 4 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Other medalists this year include Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile, artist Kara Walker, Microsoft Chairman John Thompson and Ford Foundation President Darren Walker.

The awards are presented by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

Last year’s honorees included actress Pam Grier.

W.E.B. Du Bois was a civil rights activist, historian and sociologist who died in 1963.