It is my honor to partner with Breitbart News Network, and Breitbart executives Stephen K. Bannon and Larry Solov, to present the Second Annual Andrew Breitbart Defender of the First Amendment Award at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

Last year, we bestowed the inaugural award to The Great One–conservative radio host Mark Levin. The presentation ceremony for this award was standing-room only at the CPAC Theater, where activists and conservative leaders joined to hear Mark Levin’s courageous acceptance speech.

This year, we are presenting this prestigious award to Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson. The media is already buzzing about this exciting event, and the American Conservative Union has promoted it to the main CPAC stage, in front of thousands of conservatives and live on C-SPAN.

Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the American Conservative Union said, “Robertson personifies the importance of holding tight to that which gives our lives meaning. For Phil Robertson, that includes his family, the Lord above, and of course creating havoc in the Louisiana countryside. We are honored to have him at this year’s CPAC.” I wholeheartedly agree.

Breitbart’s Stephen Bannon and I created this award to celebrate those who fiercely defend their free speech rights and the First Amendment. Someone who finds themselves taking on the institutional left and the mainstream media, and the result has a profound impact on American culture. Our culture was a large part of Andrew Breitbart’s vision for the conservative movement: that we take on the political left and the cultural left.

Andrew’s lifelong friend and Breitbart News Network CEO Larry Solov put it perfectly, “As both Andrew’s business partner and lifelong friend, I can definitively say that he would have been thrilled to give this award, that bears his name, to Phil Robertson for his unflinching conviction in the face of an adversarial media. In fact, I’m fairly certain Andrew would have grown a beard for the award presentation.”

Having Phil Robertson and his family as a part of American culture has changed this nation for the better. Week after week, millions of Americans see a family living out their faith and their values boldly and without reservation. Despite the best attempts of the mainstream media and Hollywood liberals, the Robertson patriarch and his family are still on television and they are as popular as ever.

If you are attending CPAC 2015, please stop by the main ballroom on Friday, February 27th at 12:40 p.m. and join Breitbart News Network and Citizens United as we present Phil Robertson with this special award. It is our honor to present this award in Andrew’s name along with Breitbart News to a great conservative who, like Andrew, refuses to bow to liberal pressure no matter what the cost.