WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, to 19 people, including prominent politicians and activists, on Friday, the White House announced.
The list of honorees includes an award-winning actor, an Olympian, and a former vice president.
“President Biden has often said that if we act together, nothing is beyond our ability,” the White House said in a news release announcing the winners. “These 19 Americans built teams, coalitions, movements, organizations, and businesses that shaped America for the better.”
Biden is scheduled to present the award at the White House.
The honorees included political heavyweights such as California Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, whose term as House speaker overlapped with the first two years of President Biden’s presidency. Former Vice President Al Gore is also a Democrat. Rep. James Clyburn (D.C.) is often credited with supporting Biden in 2020 as providing a major boost to his campaign. Elizabeth Dole is a former Republican senator from North Carolina who championed military caregivers and served as secretary of labor and secretary of transportation.
The list also includes several award winners who have broken barriers in their respective fields, such as actor Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian-American to win the Best Actress Oscar. Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel to space. Jim Thorpe was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal. Record-breaking Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, who won seven Olympic gold medals, also made the list.
Thorpe died in 1953. Senator Frank Lautenberg (DN.J.), passed away in 2013. Civil rights leader Medgar Evers, who was assassinated in 1963, will be honored posthumously.
The White House said in a statement that the honorees “reach the pinnacle of leadership in their respective fields.”
He added: “Throughout their careers, they have consistently demonstrated the power of community, hard work and service.”
