WASHINGTON — The White House announced Friday that President Joe Biden would award the Presidential Medal of Freedom (17 people), including former Rep. Gabby Giffords and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, as well as U.S. soccer player Megan Rapinoe.
Biden will present the medals to the recipients at a White House event scheduled for July 7. The country’s highest civilian honor, the medals, are presented at the President’s discretion to individuals who have made significant cultural contributions or major contributions to the country.
Biden will also present medals to Denzel Washington, actor; Khizr Khan (the father of a fallen Muslim U.S. Army Captain); and Sandra Lindsay (a New York nurse who was one of the first to get a Covid vaccine).
The medal will also be presented to three other recipients: Senator John McCain, who was a member of the Senate and House for many decades and became the Republican presidential candidate in 2008. Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc., and Richard Trumka who was president of the AFL-CIO.
Giffords was a former congresswoman from Arizona. She was shot during a constituent event in Arizona in 2011. Giffords survived and became an advocate for gun violence prevention.
Biles is America’s most decorated gymnast, having won 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. Rapinoe is an Olympic gold medalist, and a two-time Women’s World Cup champion.
According to the White House, the recipients should “demonstrate power and embody the spirit of the nation — hardwork, perseverance and faith.”
Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), who was a prominent advocate for campaign finance issues, marriage equality, and Sister Simone Campbell; Fred Gray, the first Black member of the Alabama state Legislature; Father Alexander Karloutsos who was a former vicar general of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Diane Nash, founding member of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr.; Wilma Vaaught, a brigadier General and one of the most decorated women; Raul Yzaguirre; and one of the National Council of La Raza’sa president and CEO; Raul Yzaguirre who was a civil rights activist who served as CEO and as president of National Council of La Raza.
