Durham, NC - Historian and scholar John Hope Franklin will be presented a lifetime achievement award Saturday by the American  Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, the nation's two oldest learned societies.

Franklin, the James B. Duke Professor Emeritus of History at Duke  University, will receive the Public Good Award for his contribution to the advancement of learning and for being a champion of civil rights in America.

The ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 28, at the Library of Congress. Also being honored are former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Librarian of the Congress James H. Billington.

Duke law professor and former U.S. Solicitor General Walter Dellinger will present the 92-year-old Franklin with the award, whose citation reads:

"You held up a ‘Mirror to America,' bore witness to inequality and injustice, and acted against both. Your seminal scholarship has reshaped our understanding of America, providing both blacks and whites with a new reflection of themselves and each other. As the consummate teacher, you reached out to instruct this nation and inspired millions of Americans to grasp a present and a future long owed to them. You personify the great humanitarian; a courageous and gentle man whose strong words and quiet actions are beyond measure. All of us who value freedom and opportunity stand tall in your presence."

The event will include a series of panel discussions, conversations and dinner programs and also feature remarks by author E.L. Doctorow, readings by poet and Boston University scholar Rosanna Warren and a performance by singer Emmylou Harris.

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Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences <www.amacad.org> is an independent policy research center. The American Philosophical Society <www.amphilsoc.org> is an honorary learned society whose members are elected in recognition of their achievements in the arts and sciences or for their distinguished public service.