Simone Biles getting Presidential Medal of Freedom

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will current the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to 17 individuals, together with actor Denzel Washington, gymnast Simone Biles and the late John McCain, the Arizona Republican with whom Biden served within the U.S. Senate.

Biden will even acknowledge Sandra Lindsay, the New York City nurse who rolled up her sleeve on dwell tv in December 2020 to obtain the primary COVID-19 vaccine dose that was pumped into an arm within the United States, the White House introduced Friday.

Editor’s observe: Video above is from Simone Biles’ return to Spring after competing within the 2021 Summer Olympics.

RELATED: Simone Biles named Time journal’s 2021 Athlete of the Year

Biden’s honors listing, which the White House shared first with The Associated Press, contains each dwelling and deceased honorees from the worlds of Hollywood, sports activities, politics, the army, academia, and civil rights and social justice advocacy.

The Democratic president will current the medals on the White House subsequent week.

Biden himself is a medal recipient. President Barack Obama honored Biden’s public service as a longtime U.S. senator and vice chairman by awarding him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2017, every week earlier than they left workplace.

The honorees who’ll obtain medals from Biden “have overcome important obstacles to realize spectacular accomplishments within the arts and sciences, devoted their lives to advocating for essentially the most susceptible amongst us, and acted with bravery to drive change of their communities, and the world over, whereas blazing trails for generations to return,” the White House mentioned.

The honor is reserved for individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values or safety of the United States, world peace or different important societal public or personal endeavors, the White House mentioned.

Biles is essentially the most adorned U.S. gymnast in historical past, successful 32 Olympic and World Championship medals. She is an outspoken advocate on points which are very private to her, together with athletes’ psychological well being, youngsters in foster care and sexual assault victims.

Lindsay turned an advocate for COVID-19 vaccinations after receiving the primary dose within the U.S.

McCain, who died of mind most cancers in 2018, spent greater than 5 years in captivity in Vietnam whereas serving within the U.S. Navy. He later represented Arizona in each homes of Congress and was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. Biden mentioned McCain was a “dear friend” and “a hero.”

Washington is a double Oscar-winning actor, director and producer. He additionally has a Tony award, two Golden Globes and the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a longtime spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

The different 13 medal recipients are:

— Sister Simone Campbell. Campbell is a member of the Sister of Social Service and a former government director of NETWRK, a Catholic social justice group. She is an advocate for financial justice, overhauling the U.S. immigration system and well being care coverage.

— Julieta Garcia. A former president of the University of Texas at Brownsville, Garcia was the primary Latina to turn out to be a university president, the White House mentioned. She was named one of the nation’s finest faculty presidents by Time journal.

— Gabrielle Giffords. A former U.S. House member from Arizona, the Democrat based Giffords, a company devoted to ending gun violence. She was shot within the head in January 2011 throughout a constituent occasion in Tucson and was gravely wounded.

— Fred Gray. Gray was one of the primary Black members of the Alabama Legislature after Reconstruction. He was a outstanding civil rights lawyer who represented Rosa Parks, the NAACP and Martin Luther King Jr.

— Steve Jobs. Jobs was the co-founder, chief government and chair of Apple Inc. He died in 2011.

— Father Alexander Karloutsos. Karloutsos is the assistant to Archbishop Demetrios of America. The White House mentioned Karloutsos has endorsed a number of U.S. presidents.

— Khizr Khan. An immigrant from Pakistan, Khan’s Army officer son was killed in Iraq. Khan gained nationwide prominence, and have become a goal of Donald Trump’s wrath, after talking on the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

— Diane Nash. A founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Nash organized some of crucial twentieth century civil rights campaigns and labored with King.

— Megan Rapinoe. The Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup soccer champion captains the OL Reign within the National Women’s Soccer League. She is a outstanding advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice and LGBTQI+ rights who has appeared at Biden’s White House.

— Alan Simpson. The retired U.S. senator from Wyoming served with Biden and has been a outstanding advocate for marketing campaign finance reform, accountable governance and marriage equality.

— Richard Trumka. Trumka had been president of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO for greater than a decade on the time of his August 2021 dying. He was a previous president of the United Mine Workers.

— Wilma Vaught. A brigadier basic, Vaught is one of essentially the most adorned ladies in U.S. army historical past, breaking gender obstacles as she has risen by way of the ranks. When Vaught retired in 1985, she was one of solely seven feminine generals within the Armed Forces.

— Raúl Yzaguirre. A civil rights advocate, Yzaguirre was president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza for 30 years. He served as U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic below Obama.