WASHINGTON – President Biden today named seventeen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, bestowed upon individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or security of the United States, world peace, or other important social, public or private endeavors.
President Biden has long argued that America can be defined with one word: possibility. These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibility and embody the soul of the nation: hard work, perseverance and faith. They have overcome significant obstacles to impressive achievements in the arts and sciences, have dedicated their lives to defending the most vulnerable among us, and have acted boldly to drive change in their communities – and around the world – paving paths for generations. to come .
The awards will be delivered to the White House on July 7, 2022.
The following people will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom:
Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history, with a total of 32 Olympic and world medals. Biles is also a major advocate of the mental health and safety of athletes, children in the care system, and victims of sexual assault.
Sister Simone Campbell is a member of the Sisters of Social Service and former Executive Director of NETWORK, a Catholic social justice organization. She is also a prominent advocate of economic justice, immigration reform, and health policy.
Julieta García is the former president of the University of Texas at Brownsville, where she was named one of Time magazine’s top college presidents. Dr. García was the first Hispanic woman to serve as a college president and has dedicated her career to serving students in the southwestern border region.
Former Congressman Gabby Giffords was the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate, serving first in the Arizona legislature and then in the United States Congress. A survivor of gun violence, she co-founded Giffords, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing gun violence.
Fred Gray was one of the first black members of the Alabama state legislature since the reconstruction. As a lawyer, he represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP and Martin Luther King, who called him “the chief counsel of the protest movement.”
Steve Jobs (died 2011) was co-founder, chief executive officer and president of Apple, Inc., CEO of Pixar, and held a leading role at the Walt Disney Company. His vision, imagination and creativity have led to inventions that have and continue to change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries.
Father Alexander Karloutsos is the former vicar general of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. After more than 50 years as a priest, providing advice to various presidents of the United States, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Protopresbyter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was appointed by His Holiness.
Khizr Khan is a Gold Star father and founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center. He is a prominent advocate of the rule of law and religious freedom and served on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom under President Biden.
Sandra Lindsay is a New York-based intensive care nurse who has served on the front line in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was the first American to receive a COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials and is a leading advocate of vaccines and mental health for healthcare professionals.
John McCain (died 2018) was a public official who was awarded a Purple Heart with a gold star for his service in the United States Navy in Vietnam. He also served the people of Arizona for decades in the United States House of Representatives and Senate and was a Republican candidate for president in 2008.
Diane Nash is a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee which organized some of the most important civil rights campaigns of the 20th century. Nash worked closely with Martin Luther King, who described her as “the guiding spirit in the non-violent assault on segregation at the lunch counters.”
Megan Rapinoe is an Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champion. She is also captain of OL Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League. She is a prominent advocate of gender pay equality, racial justice and LGBTQI + rights.
Alan Simpson was a United States Senator from Wyoming for 18 years. During his public service, he was a prominent advocate on issues including campaign finance reform, responsible governance, and marital equality.
Richard Trumka (died 2021) served as president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO for more than a decade, president of United Mine Workers and AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer. Throughout his career, he has been an outspoken advocate of social and economic justice.
Brigadier General Wilma Vaught is one of the most decorated women in US military history, who repeatedly broke gender barriers as she climbed the ranks. When she retired in 1985, she was one of only seven female generals in the military.
Denzel Washington is an actor, director and producer who has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globes and the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also served as the national spokesperson for Kids & amp; Girls Club of America for over 25 years.
Raúl Yzaguirre is a civil rights defender who was CEO and president of the La Raza National Council for thirty years. He also served as the United States ambassador to the Dominican Republic under President Barack Obama.
