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Washington, D.C. - The Dalai Lama is an elderly man in flowing robes who quietly asks that people be treated with kindness and dignity. Most countries would be proud to count him as one of its citizens. But he has been forced into exile from his home country because of his message of freedom. A few weeks ago, he traveled to Cincinnati to receive an award and I was lucky enough to have had an opportunity to speak with him.
China invaded Tibet in 1951 and has ruled it with a heavy hand ever since. The Dalai Lama’s advocacy for Tibetan self-rule makes him a traitor in the eyes of the Chinese government. After a failed Tibetan uprising in 1959, he was forced to flee his homeland to live in exile. Since then, he has traveled, lectured, and inspired people around the world as a truly holy man – and recipient of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize.
I am among those he has inspired and was honored to spend some time talking with him recently during his visit to Cincinnati, where he accepted the International Freedom Conductor Award from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. This award is given to “conspicuous and effective champions for freedom.” His Holiness returned the compliment by pointing out that that the Freedom Center tells “the story of the struggle for freedom in the United States through exhibits and programs that focus on America's battle to rid itself of the ugly scourge of slavery and treat all its citizens with respect and dignity.”
Slavery was much on his mind that day, and during our private talk, he urged that the United States and the United Nations should lead the world in eliminating the trafficking in defenseless human beings who still are sold as domestic servants or forced into prostitution.
As Americans, many of us find it hard to believe that slavery still exists 150 years after President Lincoln proclaimed freedom for Africans and their descendants who were brought to this country in chains to work in the fields and homes of their white masters.
But slavery still exists, and the Dalai Lama’s steadfast condemnation of the practice was the basis for the award he received in Cincinnati. I am proud of the Underground Railroad Freedom Center for presenting him with the award, and I am delighted to have been in the presence of such a holy and peaceful man.
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