President Joe Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 of the most famous names in politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights, LGBTQIA+ advocacy and science.
The White House said the recipients have made “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other important societal, public, or private endeavors.”
Four medals will be awarded posthumously. They will be given to Fannie Lou Hamer, who founded the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and laid the groundwork for the Voting Rights Act of 1965; to former Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy; to George W. Romney, who served as both governor of Michigan and secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and to Ash Carter, former Secretary of Defense.
Robert F. Kennedy is the father of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. George W. Romney is the father of former Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, one of Mr. Trump’s staunchest conservative critics.
The top philanthropists honored are Spanish-American chef José Andrés, whose charity World Central Kitchen has become one of the world’s most recognized food relief organizations, and Bono, the frontman of the rock band U2 and activist for social justice.
Sports and entertainment stars honored include professional soccer player Lionel Messi, Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend and businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson, actor Michael J. Fox, who is an avid advocate for Parkinson’s research and development, and William Sanford Nye, known to generations of students as “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Other honorees include environmental advocate Jane Goodall, longtime Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour, American fashion designer Ralph Lauren, American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr., entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ activist Tim Gill, and David Rubenstein, co-founder of global investment firm The Carlyle Group.
Last year, Mr. Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 people, including the late Medgar Evers, House Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina and actress Michelle Yeoh .
