President Biden presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Michelle Yeoh and 18 others in the East Room of the White House on May 3.
WASHINGTON – President Biden on Friday named 19 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 exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the U.S., world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.
The White House said that the recipients “built teams, coalitions, movements, organizations, and businesses that shaped America for the better. They are the pinnacle of leadership in their fields. They consistently demonstrated over their careers the power of community, hard work, and service.”
The awards were presented by President Joe Biden at the White House on May 3. The honorees included Michelle Yeoh, an actress known for her groundbreaking work in a number of blockbusters over four decades. For her starring role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” she recently became the first Asian to win the Academy Award for best actress.
Her other recent credits include the movies “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Last Christmas,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “The School for Good and Evil,” “A Haunting in Venice,” and the forthcoming “Wicked” and “Avatar 3”; and the TV shows “Star Trek:
Discovery,” “The Witcher: Blood Origin,” “American Born Chinese” and “The Brothers Sun.”
Biden praised Yeoh for shattering “stereotypes and glass ceilings to enrich and enhance American culture.”
The other recipients were:
Michael R. Bloomberg, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and three-term mayor of New York City.
Father Gregory J. Boyle, found-er and director of Homeboy Indus-tries in Los Angeles.
Rep. James E. Clyburn, former assistant Democratic leader and majority whip in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Elizabeth Dole, who has served as a U.S. senator, secretary of transportation, secretary of labor, and president of the American Red Cross.
Phil Donahue, journalist and television pioneer who pioneered the daytime issue-oriented talk show.
Medgar Wiley Evers (posthumous), who led the fight against segregation in Mississippi. After he was murdered in 1963 at the age of 37, his wife Myrlie continued to seek justice and equality in his name.
Al Gore, former vice president, U.S. senator, and member of the House of Representatives, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his action on climate change.
Clarence B. Jones, renowned civil rights activist and lawyer who helped draft Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
John Forbes Kerry, former secretary of state, U.S. senator, and the first special presidential envoy for climate.
Frank R. Lautenberg (post-humous), five-term U.S. senator remembered for his critical work on environmental protection and consumer safety.
Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky, the most decorated female swimmer in history. She has won seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship gold medals so far.
Opal Lee, an educator and activist known for her efforts to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday.
Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space and the second female director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Rep. Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi, who served as the 52nd speaker of the House and has represented San Francisco in Congress for more than 36 years.
Jane Rigby, an astronomer and the chief scientist of the world’s most powerful telescope.
Teresa Romero, president of United Farm Workers and the first Latina to become president of a national union in the U.S.
Judy Shepard, co-founder of the Matthew Shephard Foundation, created in honor of her son who was murdered in one of the nation’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes.
James Francis Thorpe (post-humous), the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal. He went on to play professional football, baseball, and basketball.