Just last week, the Opperman Foundation proudly announced the lineup of esteemed honorees for their 2024 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award. Among the distinguished recipients were business moguls Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch, alongside Martha Stewart, Sylvester Stallone, and Michael Milken. However, this seemingly innocuous announcement swiftly ignited a firestorm of criticism, leading to a stunning reversal from the foundation mere days later.

The first voices of dissent emerged from the Ginsburg family themselves. James Ginsburg, the late Supreme Court Justice’s Grammy-winning son, expressed bewilderment at the choice of honorees. “When you think of trying to create a more just society, which of course was Mom’s ultimate goal, those are probably about the last names that would come to mind,” he told CNN. Trevor Morrison, a former clerk for RBG, echoed these sentiments, calling upon the Opperman Foundation to remove Ginsburg’s name from the award entirely.

As the controversy gained momentum, cultural icon Barbra Streisand added her influential voice to the chorus of objections. In a poignant Instagram statement on Monday, the EGOT winner reflected on her own experience receiving the honor from Justice Sonia Sotomayor last year. “Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor stand as two of the most respected women role models, and their commitment to democratic values, especially women’s rights, is unequaled,” she wrote.

Streisand’s words carried significant weight, as she condemned the choice of honorees, stating, “I strongly doubt she [Justice Ginsburg] would approve of these awardees.” The Grammy legend’s stance aligned with the Ginsburg family, underscoring the growing perception that the selected recipients stood in stark contrast to RBG’s legacy as a champion of women’s rights and a trailblazer for Jewish women in the judicial system.

Faced with mounting criticism from such influential voices, the Opperman Foundation ultimately acquiesced. In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Julie Opperman, the foundation’s chair, acknowledged the unintended offense caused by their honoree selection. “The last thing we intended was to offend the family and friends of RBG,” she said.

The foundation’s announcement went on to cancel the planned ceremony, originally slated for April 13 at the Library of Congress. While maintaining that “each of the honorees is worthy of our respect for their leadership and their notable contributions,” the foundation recognized the incongruity between the recipients and the award’s namesake.

For Streisand, this latest advocacy effort comes amidst a whirlwind awards season. Just last month, the entertainment legend received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, further cementing her status as an industry icon. With 11 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 spanning six decades, Streisand’s musical accomplishments are equally impressive, solidifying her as one of the most successful musicians of all time.