Ford Foundation’s Darren Walker gets France’s highest honor

By THALIA BEATY
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The president of the Ford Foundation, Darren Walker, has received France’s highest cultural honor in recognition of his support of the arts and artists. He was named commander of France’s Order of Arts and Letters on Tuesday at a mansion owned by the French embassy in New York. He joins superstars like Stevie Wonder, T.S. Eliot and Meryl Streep in receiving the honor. Walker became president of the Ford Foundation in 2013 with a vision to support social justice in part through funding the arts. He has built a connection with French institutions because of what he describes as the country’s parallel journeys to live up to their founding ideals.