Mayor who pulled Confederate statues honored with JFK award

BOSTON (AP) – The former mayor of New Orleans is being honored for his leadership in removing Confederate memorials in his city.
  
Mitch Landrieu will be presented with the 2018 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for standing behind his decision to take down four monuments.
  
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is paying tribute to Landrieu for taking the action despite legal challenges and outright threats from those who insist the Confederacy is an important part of New Orleans’ heritage.
  
President Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, is scheduled to make Sunday night’s presentation. Schlossberg says Landrieu "turned a difficult and divisive issue into an opportunity."
  
The award has been presented annually since 1989 to public servants who have made courageous decisions of conscience without regard for personal or professional consequences.