Ripple of Hope Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award honors exemplary leaders across government, business, advocacy, and entertainment who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to social change and worked to protect and advance equity, justice, and human rights.
2025 Ripple of Hope Award Gala
Last year’s laureates—Martin Cabrera, Jr., Stephen Colbert, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and Darren Walker—were honored at the annual Ripple of Hope Gala on December 9, 2025 in New York City. Whether on the basketball court, the television screen, or in the boardroom, our 2025 laureates have used their platforms across finance, philanthropy, sports, and entertainment to uplift communities and champion meaningful causes.
During the ceremony, President Kerry Kennedy also announced that Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has been renamed in honor of the organization’s founder, Ethel Skakel Kennedy.
2025 Ripple of Hope Laureate Remarks
Martin Cabrera, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Cabrera Capital, a global investment bank and institutional brokerage firm, and a real estate development and investment firm. An active community member, he serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at St. Ignatius College Prep, and is on the board of World Business Chicago, INTERSECT Illinois, and Homeboy Industries, among others.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Magic Johnson Enterprises, an investment conglomerate that provides high-quality products and services that focus primarily on ethnically diverse and underserved urban communities. Having left the basketball court for the boardroom, Johnson parlayed the skills and tenacity he acquired on the NBA courts into a winning formula for his successful business ventures.
Darren Walker is the former president of the Ford Foundation, a $16 billion international social justice philanthropy with offices in the United States and 10 regions around the globe. Under his leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first non-profit in US history to issue a $1 billion designated social bond in US capital markets for proceeds to strengthen and stabilize non-profit organizations in the wake of COVID-19.
Stephen Colbert is the host, executive producer, and writer of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.’ As one of the most influential satirists of his generation, Colbert has long used wit to challenge injustice, shine a light on pressing social issues, and inspire millions.
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
–Robert F. Kennedy, 1966
— Robert Kennedy