Barbra Streisand to receive Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leadership award

February 27, 2023 Queer Forty Staff 2 min read

Beloved queer icon Barbra Streisand has been chosen by the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation as the fourth recipient of the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award, which will be presented on April 22, 2023 in Washington, D.C. at the Library of Congress.

Recognizing the impact she had on the world and wishing to inspire leaders for generations to come, Justice Ginsburg had established her legacy award prior to her passing with Julie Opperman, Chairman of the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation, in 2019. The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award is presented annually to an exceptional woman who has been an exemplary leader in her chosen field.

The legendary Barbra Streisand has a body of work that includes exceptional singing, acting, directing, producing, songwriting and more, making her one of the only performers of all time to be honored with all Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards (EGOT). She is also a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House’s highest civilian honor. Her generous support of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute has resulted in the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center which rectifies gender inequality in the research of heart disease, which kills more women than men every year.

Justice Ginsburg presented the inaugural award herself to esteemed justice reform advocate and noted philanthropist Agnes Gund. The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award was presented to HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2021, marking the only award that Her Majesty accepted during her 70 years on the throne that was not presented by a nation. Fashion industry icon, author, and esteemed philanthropist, Diane von Furstenberg, was the 2022 award recipient.

RBG Award Committees, Nancy Pelosi, Honoree Diane von Furstenberg, David Rubensten, Julie Opperman, and Sylvester Stallone honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by draping pink boxing gloves over her portrait in a “Champ to Champ” moment from last year’s ceremony. (RBG Award)

“We were honored to present The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award to The Queen of England last year, and we are equally ecstatic this year to honor our own queen of music and film, Barbra Streisand– an unrivaled American cultural icon who has brought her own brand of magic to the entire world,” said Chairman of the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation and award creator, Julie Opperman. “I made a promise to Justice Ginsburg to help preserve her legacy and to ensure that this award that bears her name continues to recognize strong women leaders who have made the world a better place, and I only wish she was here today to celebrate Ms. Streisand with us.”

Streisand, an artist who redefined Hollywood’s definition of femininity and what it means to be a powerful woman in the entertainment industry, has built a timeless career receiving nearly every prestigious award in recognition of her work. To this day, she remains the first woman to direct, produce, write, and star in a major motion picture, as well as the first female composer to receive an Academy Award.

Outside of her success as a performer, Streisand is a dedicated philanthropist. In addition to The Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai, she fights for voter rights, funded some of the earlier climate change research, and consistently fights for gender and racial equality.