Denzel Washington, 16 Others To Receive Presidential Medal Of Freedom

Oscar-winning actor, director, and producer; Denzel Washington is on the list of famous faces to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by the United States President.

Washington joins a list of 17 recipients of the accolade, which is the highest civilian honour that can be bestowed in the US.

According to a statement from the White House, the honorees who’ll receive medals from Biden “have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities, and across the world, while blazing trails for generations to come.”

The honor is reserved for people who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal public or private endeavors.

Biden’s honors list includes both living and deceased honorees from the worlds of Hollywood, sports, politics, the military, academia, and civil rights and social justice advocacy.

Along side Washington, other celebrities include two Olympic gold-medal winners, footballer Megan Rapinoe and gymnast Simon Biles, Sandra Lindsay, Sister Simone Campbell, the late John McCain, Julieta Garcia, Gabrielle Giffords, Father Alexander Karloutsos, Fred Gray, Diane Nash, and Khizr Khan.

Apple founder late Steve Jobs is also to be presented with the honour posthumously.

President Joe Biden will present the award at the White House on July 7th, 2022.

In case you don’t know, President Biden himself is a medal recipient. Former President Barack Obama honored Biden’s public service as a longtime U.S. senator and vice president by awarding him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 2017, a week before they left office.