President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
WASHINGTON – Today,
President Barack Obama named nineteen recipients of the Presidential
Medal of Freedom. 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. The
awards will be presented at the White House on
November 24th.
President Obama said,
“I look forward to presenting these nineteen bold, inspiring Americans
with our Nation’s highest civilian
honor. From activists who fought for change to artists who explored
the furthest reaches of our imagination; from scientists who kept
America on the cutting edge to public servants who help write new
chapters in our American story, these citizens have made
extraordinary contributions to our country and the world.”
The following individuals will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom:
Alvin Ailey (posthumous)
Ailey was a
choreographer, dancer, and the founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance
Theater, which is renowned for its inspiring performances in 71
countries on 6 continents since 1958.
Ailey’s work was groundbreaking in its exploration of the African
American experience and the enrichment of the modern dance tradition,
including his beloved American masterpiece
Revelations. The Ailey organization, based in New York City,
carries on his pioneering legacy with performances, training,
educational, and community programs for people of all backgrounds.
Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende is a
highly acclaimed author of 21 books that have sold 65 million copies in
35 languages. She has been recognized with numerous awards
internationally. She received the prestigious
National Literary Award in Chile, her country of origin, and is a
member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Tom Brokaw
Tom Brokaw is one of America’s most trusted and respected journalists. Mr. Brokaw served as anchor of
NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004, and is currently a Special
Correspondent for NBC News. For decades, Mr. Brokaw has reached millions
of Americans in living rooms across the country to provide depth and
analysis to historic moments as they unfold,
from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the terrorist attacks of 9-11. His
reporting has been recognized by the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime
Achievement Award, two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards,
eleven Emmys, and two Peabody awards. Mr. Brokaw previously
served as anchor of NBC’s Today, and following the death of his close friend Tim Russert, Mr. Brokaw took over
Meet the Press during the 2008 campaign season. He has written five books including
The Greatest Generation, a title that gave name to those who served in World War II at home and abroad.
James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner (posthumous)
James Chaney, Andrew
Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were civil rights activists and
participants in “Freedom Summer,” an historic voter registration drive
in 1964. As African Americans were
systematically being blocked from voter rolls, Mr. Chaney, Mr. Goodman,
and Mr. Schwerner joined hundreds of others working to register black
voters in Mississippi. They were murdered at the outset of Freedom
Summer. Their deaths shocked the nation and their
efforts helped to inspire many of the landmark civil rights
advancements that followed.
Mildred Dresselhaus
Mildred Dresselhaus is
one of the most prominent physicists, materials scientists, and
electrical engineers of her generation. A professor of physics and
electrical engineering at MIT, she
is best known for deepening our understanding of condensed matter
systems and the atomic properties of carbon, which has contributed to
major advances in electronics and materials research.
John Dingell
John Dingell is a
lifelong public servant, the longest serving Member of Congress in
American history, and one of the most influential legislators in
history. Having represented Michigan
in the House of Representatives since 1955, Mr. Dingell has fought for
landmark pieces of legislation over the past six decades, from civil
rights legislation in the 1960s, to legislation protecting our
environment in the 1970s, to his persistent, determined
fight for health care throughout his career, from Medicare to the
Affordable Care Act. Mr. Dingell also served in the U.S. Army during
World War II.
Ethel Kennedy
Ethel Kennedy has
dedicated her life to advancing the cause of social justice, human
rights, environmental protection, and poverty reduction by creating
countless ripples of hope to effect
change around the world. Over 45 years ago, she founded the Robert F.
Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, which is dedicated to
realizing her husband’s dream of a more just and peaceful world. Ethel
Kennedy was most recently honored for her longtime
advocacy of environmental causes in neglected areas of Washington, D.C.
with the dedication of the “Ethel Kennedy Bridge” over the Anacostia
River.
Suzan Harjo
Suzan Harjo is a writer,
curator, and activist who has advocated for improving the lives of
Native peoples throughout her career. As a member of the Carter
Administration and as current
president of the Morning Star Institute, she has been a key figure in
many important Indian legislative battles, including the passage of the
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and the American
Indian Religious Freedom Act. Dr. Harjo is
Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee, and a citizen of the Cheyenne and
Arapaho Tribes.
Abner Mikva
Abner Mikva is a
dedicated public servant who has served with distinction in all three
branches of government. He was a five-term Congressman from Illinois,
Chief Judge of the United States
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and White House Counsel for
President Bill Clinton. He has also served as a law professor at
Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University
of Illinois.
Patsy Takemoto Mink
Patsy Takemoto Mink was a
Congresswoman from Hawai'i, serving a total of 12 terms. She was born
and raised on Maui, became the first Japanese American female attorney
in Hawai'i, and served
in the Hawai'i territorial and state legislatures beginning in 1956. In
1964, she became the first woman of color elected to Congress. She is
best known for co-authoring and championing Title IX of the Education
Amendments of 1972.
Edward Roybal (posthumous)
Edward R. Roybal was the
first Mexican-American to be elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives from California in nearly a century. In 1976, he founded
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials,
creating a national forum for Latino issues and opening doors for a new
generation of Latino leaders.
Charles Sifford
Charles Sifford was a
professional golfer who helped to desegregate the Professional Golfers’
Association, despite harassment and death threats. He started his life
on the links as a caddy,
and though he was formally excluded from the PGA for much of his career
because of the color of his skin, he won six National Negro Opens. In
1960, he won his challenge over the PGA’s “Caucasian only” membership
policy. He went on to win official PGA events
and the PGA Seniors’ Championship. He was inducted in the World Golf
Hall of Fame in 2004 and received an honorary doctor of laws degree from
the University of St. Andrews in 2006.
Robert Solow
Robert Solow is one of
the most widely respected economists of the past sixty years. His
research in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s transformed the field, laying
the groundwork for much of modern
economics. He continues to influence policy makers, demonstrating how
smart investments, especially in new technology,
can build broad-based prosperity, and
he continues to actively participate in contemporary debates about
inequality and economic growth. He is a Nobel laureate, winning the
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic
Sciences in 1987.
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim is one
of the country’s most influential theater composers and lyricists. His
work has helped define American theater with shows such as
Company, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the
Park with George, and Into the Woods. Mr. Sondheim has won eight Grammy Awards, eight Tony Awards, an Academy Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep is one of
the most widely known and acclaimed actors in history. Ms. Streep has
captured our imaginations with her unparalleled ability to portray a
wide range of roles and
attract an audience that has only grown over time, portraying
characters who embody the full range of the human experience. She holds
the record for most Academy Award nominations of any actor in history.
Marlo Thomas
Marlo Thomas is an
award-winning actress, producer, best-selling author and social
activist. Whether championing equality for girls and women, giving voice
to the less fortunate, breaking
barriers by portraying one of television’s first single working women
on That Girl, or teaching children to be “Free to Be You and Me,”
Thomas inspires us all to dream bigger and reach higher. Thomas serves
as National Outreach Director for St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital, a pediatric treatment and research
facility focused on pediatric cancer and children's catastrophic
diseases. The hospital was founded by her father, Danny Thomas, in
1962.
Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is one of
the world’s most gifted singer-songwriters. Mr. Wonder has created a
sound entirely his own, mixing rhythm and blues with genres ranging from
rock and roll to reggae,
and demonstrating his mastery of a range of instruments, styles, and
themes. He is also a Kennedy Center Honoree, a member of the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame, and winner of 25 Grammys and an Academy Award.
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