
President Biden awarded 19 civilians with Presidential Medals of Freedom on Jan. 4. According to The White House, these medals are the highest honor a civilian can get and they are given out because this person modeled the ideals or values of the United States of America. All of these individuals encapsulate what it means to be an American and what we truly stand for as a country. They gave back to their communities, faced adversity with bravery, lead and not followed, and ultimately, through their actions, made the world a better place. They have inspired millions and have motivated others to follow in their footsteps. And in turn, their efforts are praised and admired by the person that is in the highest position of power in the United States, the president. That is truly an honor.
These people come from all walks of life and range from chefs to musicians to athletes to actors to scientists to entrepreneurs to fashion designers to government officials. The diversity here is evident and it shows how there is not one set idea for what an American hero should look like.
These 19 picks are also a representation of how diversified the people of America are.
Cheryl Sudduth, a Procurement Manager, delegate for the Democratic Convention, and President of West County Water Conservation in San Francisco had some thoughts on the variety in Biden’s picks.
“He did have a wide variety of choices ranging from civic to political to entertainment, and many different demographics,” Cheryl Sudduth said. “So, that was nice to see. Many of them were heavily involved in their communities in unexpected ways like Michael J. Fox who advocates for disability rights and Denzel Washington who is a powerful advocate for Black actors and producers and uses his power and influence to give them opportunities in front and behind the camera.”
This article will highlight the standout picks and the ones that were the most surprising or inspirational to the masses.
The fourth medal awarded was to Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has dedicated decades of her life to public service while also balancing her family life. She changed the course of history when she became the first First Lady to be elected into the Senate. Most importantly, she was perhaps more revolutionary when she became the first woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate for a major political party, the democratic party. Clinton advocates for women’s rights and for children and families.
Ayanaa Sudduth, a medical graduate student at Boston University, had some different thoughts on how revolutionary it was for a woman to be a main presidential candidate.
“I think it showed that we were behind the times because while there are also other regions that haven’t, there are other countries that have,” Ayanaa Sudduth said. “But I think that it’s a sign that the U.S. is not as progressive as we think we are as well and we are a lot more biased than we care to admit. Especially, if we look at women’s resumes and compare that to other presidential candidates and we can see that they don’t even compare. I think it revealed a deeper meaning for what we value in this country when they still did not win the presidential election.”
The fifth medal awarded was to Michael J. Fox who has won many different awards for his acting over the years. Including, five Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Grammy Award. Fox advocates for the study of Parkinson’s disease.
“Michael J. Fox could have taken his diagnosis and used that as an excuse to say ‘woe is me’ and to be self absorbed,” Cheryl Sudduth said. “But instead he decided to use his influence and power of persuasion to help people better understand Parkinson’s disease. He is a picture of resilience. He took something that could have a devastating blow, especially for men because most things in Hollywood have to do with how you look and present yourself, as an opportunity to educate people and bring them into the world of who he is as a person through his platform. That is truly admirable because most people do this out of selfish reasons, but he has genuine concern.”
The sixth medal awarded was to Tim Gill who is an computer software programmer, entrepreneur, and world-renowned philanthropist. He made ground-breaking innovations in the publishing industry with his software and then used his rare privilege to help or give back to others. He played a large hand in the victories for the fight of marriage equality and anti-discrimination practices. He was also one of the first openly gay people to be on the Forbes 400 list of America’s richest people. Gill advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights and equality.
However, Cheryl Sudduth had on alternative thoughts on rich people giving back to their communities.
There is this phenomenon called invisible labour. It’s mostly done by women, and we work in many different positions at our job and then do work at home. What makes it invisible is that they aren’t recognized for their work or don’t get credit. It is this labour that keeps the world spinning correctly on its axis. That is what truly needs to be recognized. We need to take a better look into the community and for every one of me, there are ten others who help the community but just in different capacities.
The seventh medal awarded was to Dr. Jane Goodall who is an ethologist and conservationist. Her research has laid the groundwork for what we know about human evolution and our understanding of primates. Dr. Goodall advocates for the conservation and protection of the natural world.
“Dr. Goodall is legendary for the work she did with primates and showing that chimpanzees can understand human words and even count,” Cheryl Sudduth said. “What she did was make us understand that while we have higher intelligence, there are other beings that do have emotions like us. Having emotions is not only relegated to humans. Animals can feel extreme joy and sorrow and a lot of people thought that only humans have this, but if we tickle them they still laugh. Her research went a long way with helping us understand the nature of beings and evolution.”
The ninth medal awarded was to Earvin “Magic” Johnson who is a widely celebrated, retired basketball player. While he has led the Los Angeles Lakers to five championships, he is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist through the Magic Johnson Foundation. Johnson advocates for HIV/AIDS awareness and protection, and safe sex.
“I hope that people don’t just look at Magic Johnson’s basketball career and actually look at the totality of his career,” Cheryl Sudduth said. “He came from Michigan and grew up being good at sports but his mom was a janitor and his dad worked with automotives. He came from a large family and his parents had a great work ethic. His mom had played basketball and she passed that on to him. Only in junior high did he know he could have a career in basketball. He went from a black school to a predominately white school and students were throwing rocks at him and their parents didn’t want him in their school. He had the classic civil rights experience. Some of his teammates wouldn’t even pass to him. A lot of young black men at the time had to try to fit into a world that wasn’t made or built for them without losing themselves.”
But the pivotal part of his career didn’t come from his rivalry with Larry Bird. Before he retired he announced that he had HIV. This was very important because most people thought that this was the ‘gay man’s disease’ or just for people who were promiscuous. But his announcement changed the face of this disease and people started taking it more seriously, and started getting tested. This was even more impactful than his basketball career.
He also gives internship opportunities to a lot of black people and while he doesn’t discriminate, he was very intentional. He gives opportunities to women and black owned businesses as well, and he has been very consistent with this.
The twelfth award given was to Lionel Messi who is the most acclaimed player in all of professional soccer. He uses the Leo Messi Foundation to advocate for the healthcare and education of children everywhere. Messi is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador which is an organization that improves the welfare of children worldwide.
The thirteenth award was given to William Sanford Nye who has been inspiring children for years with his popular TV show “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” He has dedicated his life to teaching others about science and advocates for space exploration and environmental management through the Planetary Society.
“I love Bill Nye and I think that he has done so much for the community,” Ayanaa Sudduth said. “He was a huge part of my childhood. I have never met anyone my age that doesn’t love him and I have just learned so much. He has broken apart different ideas and made them easier to understand, better than any teacher could. He has always been a great example for kids as well. He is a large part of the reason why I love science.”
The eighteenth award was given to Denzel Washington and he does it all with acting, directing, producing, his own movies. He has two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Tony Award, the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, and counting. Also, for over 25 years, he has served as the National Spokesman for the Boys & Girls Club of America. Washington is recognized as an advocate of progress and equality for African Americans. The announcer at this esteemed ceremony said it best, he really does represent the American story.