Obama's Nobel Prize Win Puts Him in the Company of MLK

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize, Now in MLK's Company

President Barack Obama was as shocked as everyone else that he won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. "After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, 'Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday!' And then Sasha added, 'Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up.' So it's good to have kids to keep things in perspective," Obama quipped at the top of a statement he made in the White House's Rose Garden this morning.

Then he grew serious about the honor that caused many to question whether he deserves it so early into his presidency:

"To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace. But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents....And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century." SOURCE: White House Press Office

Although he didn't call him by name, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, could not have been far from Obama's mind as one of those transformative figures. King won the Nobel Peace Prize back in 1964. At the time, the civil rights leader was the youngest man to have ever received that honor.

I was delighted when the National Visionary Leadership Project reached out to me with this 2002 video from their archives of MLK's widow, the late Coretta Scott King, reflecting on the Nobel Prize. She noted the bittersweet honor of being recognized for the progress he'd made possible when at the time, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had just been passed. "That was a great moment of fulfillment," she said, "of being there and seeing that prize given, hoping that our paths would be much easier as we came back. But of course, that was not the case."

The NVLP is committed to protecting, preserving, and honoring the wisdom of African American elders. Check out more videos from their oral history video archive.

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President Obama Photos

Winning the Nobel Peace Prize: What a great way to start the day! See photos from his Rose Garden Speech, plus other recent events he has attended.

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President Obama Pictures

Douglas Baird, Professor of Law at the University of Chicago talks in a classroom at the school about President Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize Friday, Oct. 9, 2009 in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

President Barack Obama delivers remarks on regulatory reform, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, left, and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., take their seats in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, prior to President Barack Obama delivering remarks on regulatory reform. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, left, talks with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., right, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, prior to President Barack Obama delivering remarks on regulatory reform. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 09: U.S. President Barack Obama makes remarks about finanacial institution regulation reform in the East Room of the White House October 9, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama supports the creation of Consumer Financial Protection Agency. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Barack Obama

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WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 09: U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner talks with guests before U.S. President Barack Obama makes remarks about finanacial institution regulation reform in the East Room of the White House October 9, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama said he supports the creation of Consumer Financial Protection Agency. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Timothy Geithner

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Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn. left, and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass. take their seats in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, prior to President Barack Obama delivering remarks on regulatory reform. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner talks with attendees in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, before President Barack Obama spoke about the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, regulatory reform and the financial markets. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner smiles as he talks with attendees in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, before President Barack Obama spoke about the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, regulatory reform and the financial markets. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)