WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour, to 17 people, including actor Denzel Washington, gymnast Simone Biles and the late John McCain, an Arizona Republican with whom Biden served in the US Senate . The White House made the announcement on Friday.
Washington is a double Oscar winning actor, director and producer. He has a Tony Award, two Golden Globes and a Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a longtime spokesperson for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Biden’s honor list includes honors, both living and deceased, from the worlds of Hollywood, sports, politics, the military, academia, and civil rights and social justice advocacy.
The Democratic president will present the medals at the White House on July 7.
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Other Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Simone Biles: Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history, winning 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. She is an outspoken advocate on issues that are very personal to her, including the mental health of athletes, children in foster care, and victims of sexual assault.
MORE MEDALS:Olympians Simone Biles, Megan Rapinoe to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Sandra Lindsay: The New York City nurse who rolled up her sleeve on live television in December 2020 to receive the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which was given a hand was pumped in. United States. Lindsay became an advocate of COVID-19 vaccination.
John McCain: McCain, who died of brain cancer in 2018, spent more than five years in captivity in Vietnam while serving in the US Navy. He later represented Arizona in both houses of Congress and was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. Biden said McCain was a “dear friend” and “a hero”.
Sister Simone Campbell: Campbell is a member of the Sisters of Social Service and former executive director of the Catholic social justice organization Network. She is an advocate of economic justice, reform of the US immigration system and health care policy.
Juliette Garcia: The former president of the University of Texas at Brownsville, Garcia was the first Latina to become college president, the White House said. He was named one of the best college presidents in the country by Time magazine.
Gabrielle Giffords: A former US House member from Arizona, Democrats founded Giffords, an organization dedicated to ending gun violence. She was shot in the head and seriously injured during a component event in Tucson in January 2011.
Fred Grey: Gray was one of the first black members of the Alabama Legislature after Reconstruction. He was a prominent civil rights attorney who represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Steve Jobs: Jobs was the co-founder, chief executive, and chairman of Apple Inc. He passed away in 2011.
Father Alexander Carlautos: Carlautos is an assistant to Archbishop Demetrios of America. The White House said Carlautos has counseled several US presidents.
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Khizr Khan: An immigrant from Pakistan, Khan’s army officer son was killed in Iraq. After speaking at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, Khan rose to national prominence, and became the target of Donald Trump’s wrath.
Diane Nash: A founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Nash organized and worked with King on some of the most important civil rights campaigns of the 20th century.
Megan Rapinoe: Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup soccer champion captains OL Reigns in the National Women’s Soccer League. She is a leading advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice and LGBTQI+ rights, appearing at Biden’s White House.
Alan Simpson: The retired U.S. senator from Wyoming worked with Biden and has been a leading advocate for campaign finance reform, responsible governance, and marriage equality.
Richard Trumka: Trumka was the chairman of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO for more than a decade at the time of his August 2021 death. He was the former president of the United Mine Workers.
Wilma Vaut: A brigadier general, Vaut is one of the most decorated women in American military history, breaking down gender barriers as she rose through the ranks. When Vaut retired in 1985, she was one of only seven female generals in the armed forces.
Raul Yazaguire: A civil rights advocate, Yazaguire was the President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza for 30 years. He served as the US ambassador to the Dominican Republic under Obama.
Biden received the Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama.
Biden himself is the recipient of the medal. President Barack Obama honored Biden’s public service as a longtime US senator and vice president in January 2017, a week before he stepped down.
MORE:Obama surprises a choke-up Biden with the Medal of Freedom
What is the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
Medal recipients from Biden have “overcame significant obstacles to achieve impressive achievements in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and making a difference in our communities.” and the world across the country, blazing paths for generations to come,” the White House said
. Has made exemplary contributions to security, world peace or other important social, public or private endeavors.
