President Biden on Friday awarded the nation’s highest civilian awards to 19 people, many of them Democratic allies.
The White House has announced the list of recipients for the annual Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Vice President Al Gore, and former Secretary of State John Kerry. Listed names.
Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who gave critical support to Biden in the 2020 primary, also received a medal.
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President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia. (Hannah Baier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The Presidential Medal of Freedom is our nation’s highest civilian award, and our people are doing everything in their power to ensure that America’s cause, the cause of freedom, shines like the sun and illuminates the future of the world,” Biden said. ” he said. Win medals with videos promoting the latest winners.
Honorees include civil rights activist Judy Shepard, Juneteenth recognition advocate Opal Lee, attorney Clarence Jones, and Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers. Many leaders of the movement are listed.
Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers, received the award, as did Father John Romero, a Catholic priest. Greg Boyle, Anti-Gang Ministry Organizer.
After a tearful farewell, President Obama awards Biden the Medal of Freedom
Buzz Aldrin’s Medal of Freedom, awarded by Richard M. Nixon, is on display in New York City. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Other honorees include longtime talk show host Phil Donahue, Olympian Katie Ledecky, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, astronomer Jane Rigby and former NASA Johnson Space Center director Ellen Ochoa. etc. are included.
Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal, received the award posthumously. So did the late Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.
The only Republican confirmed is former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who served in the cabinets of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
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President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to then-Vice President Joe Biden during an event in the official dining room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 12, 2017. (Olivier Douriery Poole/Getty Images)
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy. It replaced the Medal of Freedom, established by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 to honor individuals who provided significant assistance to the United States in World War II.
It is the highest civilian award in the United States and is intended to recognize “individuals who have distinguished themselves in the interests of (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) culture.” . or other important public or private endeavors. ”
Biden himself received the medal from then-President Barack Obama on January 12, 2017, while serving as vice president.
