President Joseph R. Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 recipients Saturday January 4. Of the 19 people honored, civil rights icon Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer was honored posthumously. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
Hamer received the award posthumously because she “transformed the struggle for racial justice in America. As a founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, she challenged the exclusion of Black voices in the political system and laid the groundwork for the 1965 Voting Rights Act.” She is the 11th Mississippian to receive the honor.
Honorees included legendary basketball player, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Johnson “led the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships. Off the court, he is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who supports underserved communities through his Magic Johnson Foundation.”
Legendary actor and recently ordained minister Denzel Washington also received the selective award. Washington, an actor, director, and producer 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 National Spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for over 25 years.
Renowned Spanish-American culinary innovator José Andrés, who popularized tapas in the United States, also received the honor. Andrés’ World Central Kitchen provides large-scale relief to communities affected by natural disasters and conflict around the world.
Additional honorees included former first lady and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; U2 founder and philanthropist Bono; U.S. 25th Secretary of Defense Ashton Baldwin Carter (posthumous); actor and Parkinson’s disease activist and research advocate Michael J. Fox; software developer and LGBTQUIA+ activist Tim Gill; world-renowned ethologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall; former attorney general Robert Francis Kennedy (posthumous); fashion designer Ralph Lauren; legendary soccer player and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lionel Messi; scientist and science education advocate William “Bill Nye the Science Guy” Sanford Nye; former Chair of Ford Motor Company George Romney (posthumous); iconic global investor and philanthropist David Rubenstein; investor, philanthropist, and founder of the Open Society Foundations George Soros; award-winning director and American Film Institute founder George Stevens, Jr., and iconic Vogue editor-in-chief and philanthropist Anna Wintour.
To read more about the honorees, see the White House’s Official Announcement.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D., founder & editor-in-chief of The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on IG @TheBurtonWire or @Ntellectual.
