FORMER prime minister of Jamaica, the late Michael Manley, will be inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame by the Atlanta-based Trumpet Awards Foundation come January next year.

The announcement was made Wednesday by chairman of the Michael Manley Foundation, Danny Roberts, on the occasion of the eighth annual Michael Manley awards for community self-reliance at the Little Theatre in Kingston.

“Michael Manley will join some of the most distinguished civil rights icons of the twentieth century, including Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Mahatma Ghandi as the brave warriors of justice and have his footstep imprinted in granite markers among the assemblage of international civil rights walk of fame inductees,” Roberts said.

During his remarks at the award ceremony, he lauded Manley for his work in instituting socio-economic programmes such as the former Jamaican Movement for the Advancement of Literacy (JAMAL), the National Youth Service and the National Housing Trust. Roberts also highlighted Manley’s role in setting up the Worker’s Bank and for implementing the bauxite levy.

Manley was the country’s fifth prime minister, serving two terms: 1972-1980 and 1989-1992 before handing the reins to P J Patterson. Before his death in 1997, he authored several books including The Politics of Change and was known for his charismatic leadership style.

Inductees into the civil rights walk of fame are individuals who have made significant contributions to their countries in the areas of science, politics, religion, public service, law, sports and entertainment.