President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 recipients on Saturday afternoon, together with Black American luminaries, actor Denzel Washington, former NBA star and enterprise mogul Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and the late civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.
Different recipients included former Secretary of State, U.S. Senator and First Woman Hillary Rodham Clinton, musician Bono, actor Michael J. Fox, the late Robert F. Kennedy, Sr., clothier Ralph Lauren, and longtime Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
The ceremony unfolded within the historic White Home East Room, the place President Biden famous President Abraham Lincoln and Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass stood to “unify the nation” after delivering Lincoln’s 1865 inaugural handle.
Biden praised the group for his or her “unwavering ardour to strengthen our resolve as one nation below God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” The president added, “You feed the hungry, you give hope to those that are hurting, and also you craft the indicators and sounds of our actions and our reminiscences.”
Throughout his awarding, Denzel Washington embraced Biden with a hug after the president positioned the Medal of Freedom award round his neck. The Oscar-winning actor, who was not too long ago baptized and obtained a ministry coaching license, was praised as “one of many best actors of our time.”
“Over 4 a long time on display screen and stage, his portrayals of iconic figures and on a regular basis folks have earned him huge acclaim that features two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes and a Tony Award – thus far,” stated a White Home announcer as President Biden awarded the Medal of Freedom to Washington.
“The admiration of audiences and friends is just exceeded by that of the numerous younger folks he conjures up with unmatched dignity, extraordinary expertise and unflinching religion in God and household. Denzel Washington himself is a defining character of the American story.”
The Medal of Freedom is the best civilian honor bestowed by the president of the US on a U.S. citizen. It was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1945 however turned a contemporary custom in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy chosen 31 recipients, together with Marian Anderson, the primary African-American to carry out on the Metropolitan Opera.
Fannie Lou Hamer, who famously registered Black voters all through the South and advocated for voting rights, was posthumously awarded her Medal of Freedom, which was accepted by Doris Hamer Richardson, a relative.
The White Home named Hamer as “one of the highly effective voices of the civil rights motion.” Hamer notably sacrificed her bodily security to arrange and register Black voters and was “brutally crushed” for her activism.
“Undeterred for many years, she spoke reality to energy to increase political participation and financial rights for all Individuals and left these phrases echoing the nation’s conscience: ‘No one is free till all people is free,’” stated the White Home.
Rev. Al Sharpton informed theGrio that Hamer’s honor was notably notable for Black American historical past, calling it “heartwarming, traditionally, notably coming at a time that voting rights is below siege.”
“Fannie Lou Hamer lived to offer the proper to us, not solely Mississippi however nationwide, and was crushed and had confronted the ’64 Democratic [National] Conference about voting rights,” Sharpton recalled. “And right here we’re, 60 years later, the place a Black lady was the nominee on the [2024] conference due to voting rights, and now voting rights is below menace.”
“For the president to salute her as he has fought with us on this situation, to face with us on this situation, I believe was acceptable,” added Sharpton. “[It] sends a message not solely memorializing her however cementing what she stood for.”
Magic Johnson drew laughs contained in the East Room through the award ceremony. His 6-foot-9 body needed to bend down for President Biden, who’s 6 ft tall, to position the Medal of Freedom round him.
Johnson, who performed his 12-year NBA profession with the Los Angeles Lakers, was honored for his “unmatched” athleticism but additionally his advocacy for HIV/AIDS consciousness and therapy.
“Beneath the identical brilliant lights, his honesty about his HIV standing shattered stigma and saved lives,” stated the White Home.
“The primary retired athlete to construct a real enterprise empire, he champions underserved communities. With a legendary will and smile, Magic Johnson rose from the playground in Lansing, Michigan to develop into one of the beloved athletes of our time.”
“Not a nasty group, huh?” Biden stated with glee on the finish of Saturday’s ceremony.
As Biden’s presidency ends in simply two weeks, the 82-year-old president left the room of honorees, households and dignitaries with a name to motion, seemingly encouraging them as President-elect Donald Trump prepares his controversial return to the White Home.
“Our sacred effort continues,” stated President Biden, including, “We now have to maintain going. As my mom would say, ‘We gotta hold the religion.’”
Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White Home Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He’s based mostly in Washington, D.C.
