The Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University will honor LeVar Burton, a renowned actor and advocate for children’s literacy and AIDS research, with the 2019 Inamori Ethics Prize. Case Western Reserve has awarded the Inamori Ethics Prize annually since 2008 to individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions as global ethical leaders. Burton is the first recipient to be honored for ethical leadership in the Arts.

His work for children’s literacy through the long-running PBS children’s series Reading Rainbow has had a profound impact around the world, as has his support for more funding for AIDS research.

Burton will participate in an academic symposium with Case Western Reserve faculty experts on Sept. 20 on the topic of Ethical Leadership in the Arts:The Power of Storytelling and Representation.