According to a statement from US Soccer, Rapinoe, the forward of the US Women’s National Team and an advocate of equal pay, found out last week when Biden called her during training in Denver. When she saw “The White House” pop up on her phone screen, she thought she was either getting a robocall or being pranked by her teammates. “The moment I spoke to the President, I was, and still am, completely shocked,” Rapinoe said in a statement, adding that she was thinking of “all the people I think deserve this piece of metal.” “I am humbled and truly honored to have been selected for this award by President Biden, and I feel as inspired and motivated as ever to continue this long history of fighting for the freedom of all people. none of us are free,” he added. Biden’s list of recipients also includes religious clergy and social justice advocates, including Sister Simone Campbell, who previously led the universal social justice organization NETWORK. Father Alexandros Karloutsos, a priest who has advised several US presidents. Fred Gray, one of the first black members of the Alabama State Legislature after Reconstruction. Diane Nash, civil rights organizer. and Raúl Yzaguirre, civil rights activist and former US ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington will also receive the award. There are also former lawmakers on the list, including former Wyoming Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords, who became an advocate for gun violence prevention after she was shot in an attempted assassination in 2011, said in a statement that she was “humbled and honored” to receive the medal. “Since being shot more than 11 years ago, my personal journey of recovery has taught me that it’s not the setback that defines us: it’s how we react to it. There was no shortage of setbacks as I relearned how to talk and how to walk, just as there was no shortage of setbacks in the fight for gun safety to which I have dedicated my life. And yet I never lost hope,” he said. “One of my reasons for hope is in the Oval Office today, elected to complete the nearly impossible task of healing a divided nation.” Other recipients are Dr. Julieta García – the first Hispanic woman to serve as college president, Gold Star Khizr Khan’s father Sandra Lindsay – a New York nurse who was the first American to receive the Covid-19 vaccine out of clinical trials, and Brigadier General Wilma Vaught — one of the most decorated women in the history of the US military. According to the White House, Biden will present the awards on Thursday, July 7 at the White House. Biden is a Medal of Freedom recipient himself. Then-President Barack Obama surprised his vice president with the award in 2017.
title: “Medal Of Freedom Simone Biles Megan Rapinoe Gabby Giffords John Mccain And Denzel Washington Among Honorees " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-07” author: “Jose Tyler”
According to a statement from US Soccer, Rapinoe, the forward of the US Women’s National Team and an advocate of equal pay, found out last week when Biden called her during training in Denver. When she saw “The White House” pop up on her phone screen, she thought she was either getting a robocall or being pranked by her teammates.
“The moment I spoke to the President, I was, and still am, completely shocked,” Rapinoe said in a statement, adding that she was thinking of “all the people I think deserve this piece of metal.”
“I am humbled and truly honored to have been selected for this award by President Biden, and I feel as inspired and motivated as ever to continue this long history of fighting for the freedom of all people. none of us are free,” he added.
Biden’s list of recipients also includes religious clergy and social justice advocates, including Sister Simone Campbell, who previously led the universal social justice organization NETWORK. Father Alexandros Karloutsos, a priest who has advised several US presidents. Fred Gray, one of the first black members of the Alabama State Legislature after Reconstruction. Diane Nash, civil rights organizer. and Raul Yzaguirre, civil rights activist and former US ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington will also receive the award.
There are also former lawmakers on the list, including former Wyoming Republican Sen. Alan Simpson and former Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Giffords, who became an advocate for gun violence prevention after she was shot in an attempted assassination in 2011, said in a statement that she was “humbled and honored” to receive the medal.
“Since being shot more than 11 years ago, my personal journey of recovery has taught me that it’s not the setback that defines us: it’s how we react to it. There was no shortage of setbacks as I relearned how to talk and how to walk, just as there was no shortage of setbacks in the fight for gun safety to which I have dedicated my life. And yet I never lost hope,” he said. “One of my reasons for hope is in the Oval Office today, elected to complete the nearly impossible task of healing a divided nation.”
Other recipients are Dr. Juliet Garcia — the first Hispanic woman to serve as a college president, father of Gold Star Khizr Khan, Sandra Lindsay — a New York nurse who was the first American woman to receive a Covid-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials, and Brigadier General Wilma Vaught — one of the most decorated women in the history of the US military.
The honorees have varied ties to Democrats and Biden’s inner circle.
Laurene Powell Jobs, the founder of the Emerson Collective and the widow of Steve Jobs, donated more than $700,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020.
McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, was nominated by Biden to serve as US Ambassador to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Biden appointed Kahn to serve on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom last year. And Garcia served on the Clinton and Obama transition teams on education. Giffords and the Giffords PAC endorsed Biden in 2020. And Trumka’s AFL-CIO also endorsed Biden, with the late union leader saying shortly after the 2020 election that “Biden’s path to the White House ran through America’s labor movement.” Biden called Sister Campbell a friend and Father Carloutsos called the President “his closest friend.” Simpson was Biden’s peer on the Senate Judiciary Committee, supporting the then-senator as he tried to salvage his 1988 presidential campaign after a plagiarism scandal.
According to the White House, Biden will present the awards on July 7 at the White House.
Biden is a Medal of Freedom recipient himself. Then-President Barack Obama surprised his vice president with the award in 2017.
