Biden Honors 17 People with the Medal of Freedom … Except Denzel | WATCH

YouTube video

*(CNN) — President Joe Biden on Thursday awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom to 17 Americans, including Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, soccer star Megan Rapinoe and Gold Star father Khizr Khan. Actor Denzel Washington couldn’t attend because of COVID (more below).

The 17 individuals are the first people Biden has awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor since taking office. Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff attended the ceremony at the White House as well.

“The Fourth of July week reminds us what brought us together long ago, and still binds us — binds us at our best, what we strive for. We the people, doing what we can to ensure that the idea of America, the cause of freedom, shines like the sun to light up the future of the world,” Biden said in his opening remarks. “That’s the soul of our nation. That’s who we are as Americans.”

The medal is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,” the White House said.

MORE NEWS ON EURWEB: GOP Candidate Jerone Davison Takes On KKK with AR-15 in Campaign Ad | Watch

2022 Medal of Freedom Awardee - Denzel Washington
2022 Medal of Freedom Awardee – Denzel Washington – Getty

The President awarded the medal posthumously to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, former Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington had been scheduled to attend the event to receive his medal but the White House said he had tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the ceremony. Biden noted the actor’s absence and said he “couldn’t be here today but wanted to be” and said he’d give him the medal at a different time.

Rapinoe, a member of the US women’s national soccer team who is an Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champion, is the first female soccer player to receive the medal. Biden also noted Biles, 25, is the youngest person to ever receive the award.


The list of recipients included Fred Gray, who was one of the first Black members of the Alabama state legislature since Reconstruction and who represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP, and Martin Luther King as an attorney. It also included one of the most decorated women in the history of the US military, retired Brigadier General Wilma Vaught; a critical care nurse who was the first American to receive a Covid-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials, Sandra Lindsay; and the first Hispanic woman to serve as a college president, Dr. Julieta García.

Lindsay told CNN’s Boris Sanchez on Thursday that she wanted to use her platform to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Her message to those still skeptical about getting the vaccine, she said, is “continue to do your research. Reach out to people you trust. I am still here, it’s been almost three years and I continue to advocate. So if you are not protected yet, please go out and get yourself protected.”

Other recipients included: Catholic social justice leader Sister Simone Campbell, the former executive director of NETWORK who leads the “Nuns on the Bus,” a group of politically active nuns; civil rights activist Diane Nash, who worked with Martin Luther King and is a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; Father Alexander Karloutsos, the former vicar general of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; civil rights advocate Raúl Yzaguirre, who served as CEO and president of National Council of La Raza and former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming.

“President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities. These 17 Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation — hard work, perseverance, and faith,” the White House said in a statement.

Biden is a Medal of Freedom honoree himself. Then-President Barack Obama surprised his vice president with the award in 2017.

This story has been updated with additional developments on Thursday.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

Ahmaud Arbery
Diddy in jail _ AI
Donald Trump - via Grok AI
food items
Back in Action coming to Netflix
ONE OF THEM DAYS 2025
Duke of Sussex
What!!!! - George Whitty and Ellis Hall
Jeannie Mai and Jeezy
director Gina Prince-Bythewood
Otis Williams (Stefan Brending via Creative Commons)
Read More
Aaron Pierre - screenshot
Read More
George W. Bush - Donald Trump (Getty)
Read More
Jimmy Butler & Kaitlin Nowak - screenshot
Read More
Shamsud Din Jabbar - YouTube screenshot
Read More
WICKED: PART 1
Read More
New Orleans New Years Eve Terror Attack
Read More
“Carl Weber’s The Family Business: New Orleans”
Read More
Rymir Satterthwaite - screenshot
Read More
Allison Holker Boss and Stephen Boss - Getty
Read More

POPULAR

Ahmaud Arbery
Jury Selection Begins in Trial of Ex-Prosecutor Accused of Meddling in Arbery Case
Diddy in jail _ AI
Sean 'Diddy' Combs Files $50M Defamation Suit Against NewsNation over False Claims
Donald Trump - via Grok AI
Trump Grants Controversial Pardons to Two Convicted Cops in High-Profile Murder Case of Black Man | WATCH
food items
Bulk Shopping: 6 Essential Items to Save Money and Reduce Shopping Trips
Back in Action coming to Netflix
Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz's 'Back in Action' Tops Netflix Charts with 46.8M Viewers
ONE OF THEM DAYS 2025
'One Of Them Days' Film Review On The 'We Got Notes' Podcast | Listen
Duke of Sussex
Prince Harry Receives Substantial Damages and Apology in Settlement with News Group Newspapers
What!!!! - George Whitty and Ellis Hall
'WHAT!!!! In the World' Drops Worldwide February 14 from Legends Ellis Hall & George Whitty! | LISTEN to New Single
Jeannie Mai and Jeezy
Jeannie Mai Calls Police After Jeezy Denies Entry to Retrieve Personal Belongings
1 2 3 8,517