One of the NAACP attorneys who represented Nixon was Arthur B. Spingarn, who along with his brother Joel, a Columbia University president, bears the name of the honored Spingarn Medal, an annual award given to an African American of great distinction and accomplishment. The Spingarn brothers were white Americans but were dedicated to advocating for justice for blacks much of their lives. Winners of the prestigious Spingarn Medal include baseball player Jackie Robinson, civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson, musician Duke Ellington, comedian Bill Cosby, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey.