CMR
REPOST VIA SYBIL WILKS
What You Need to Know:
President Joe Biden hosted a White House Ceremony Friday, to honor 19 Americans with the highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Honor. According to the National Archives, “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.”
Among those honored: the 97-year old retired Texas schoolteacher, Mrs. Opal Lee, the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” now a federal holiday, US.Congressman James Clyburn (SC) Democratic leader in the U.S. House, Atty Clarence Jones, adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., also worked with Dr. King on the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, as well as the person who smuggled Dr.King’s words out of a jail cell, which were published as “Letters from the Birmingham Jail.” A posthumous salute was given to civil rights leader, Medgar Evers. Mr. Evers served as the NAACP’s first Field Secretary in the state of Mississippi, where he fought for issues including school integration and voter registration. Mr. Evers was assassinated in front of his Jackson, Miss. home in 1963.
Of Congresman Clyburn, President Biden said, “guided South Carolina and our country with a steady hand and an enormous heart over the last half century.” He added: “And I can say this without fear of contradiction: I would not be standing here as president making these awards were it not for Jim.”
USA Today reported:
Other Democratic allies saluted included former Vice President Al Gore, former Senator and Secretary of State John Kerry, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Senator Frank Lautenberg (NJ) posthumous, .
About Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the President noted, “the first woman speaker of the House, ‘grew up knowing the power and purpose of politics‘ and used her ‘superpowers’ to pass major legislation. History will remember you, Nancy, as the greatest speaker of the House.”
Other recipients included Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries-the world’s largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program, former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Talk Show host Phil Donahue, First Native American to win an Olympic Gold Medal Jim Thorpe (posthumous) and Olympics multiple gold medal Swimming champion Katie Ledecky. Teresa Romero, President of the United Farm Workers and first Latina to become President of a national union in the U.S. Dr. Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space and second Female Director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Dr. Jane Rigby, Chief Scientist of the world’s most powerful telescope, Judy Shepard, Co-founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Her son was the murder victim in what described as a notorious anti-gay hate crime and actress Michelle Yeoh.
