President Joe Biden will honor 19 people with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Friday, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
The diverse group of names from politics to activists and entertainment include Biden’s 2020 Democratic primary opponents and former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Vice President Al Gore, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Elizabeth Dole and recent Biden Climate Envoy and former Sec. of State John Kerry.
The “grandmother of Juneteenth,” Opal Lee, and Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard who was abducted and brutally killed in 1998 because he was gay will also be honored.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during the Teachers of the Year state dinner at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 2, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Oscar award-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, swimming legend Katie Ledecky, “the most decorated female swimmer in history,” and Dr. Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to go into space during a nine-day mission on the shuttle Discovery in 1993 will also be awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor.
The White House said in a statement that the people who were selected to be honored on Friday have “built teams, coalitions, movements, organizations, and businesses that shaped America for the better. They are the pinnacle of leadership in their fields. They consistently demonstrated over their careers the power of community, hard work, and service.”
Source Agencies
