WASHINGTON (AP) — When Clarence B. Jones answered the phone and heard the person on the other end say he was calling from the White House, he thought a prankster was on the line. Told.
“I said, 'Is this a joke or are you serious?'” Jones recalled. The caller swore he was serious when he called with the news that President Joe Biden wanted to award Mr. Jones the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.
Jones, 93, will be honored for his work in the civil rights movement. He is the lawyer who provided legal advice to Martin Luther King Jr. and helped write the opening chapters of the Bible. “I have a dream” speech King gave a speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington.
Jones will be honored by the Democratic president on Friday for what the White House calls “exemplary contributions to American prosperity, values, security, world peace, or other significant social and public contributions.” He is one of 19 diverse people. Or personal effort. ”
The 10 men and nine women come from the worlds of politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy, science, and religion. Three medals will be awarded posthumously.
“These 19 Americans built teams, coalitions, movements, organizations, and businesses that shaped America for the better,” the White House said in a statement. “They are the pinnacle of leadership in their fields. Throughout their careers, they have consistently demonstrated the power of community, hard work, and science.”
The winners include seven politicians, including a former New York mayor and a philanthropist. michael bloombergCongressman James Clyburn, D.C., former Senator Elizabeth Dole, climate activist, former Vice President al goreBiden's former climate envoy john kellyformer Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D.N.J., who died in 2013, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives. nancy pelosiD-California.
Cliburn's Supports longtime friend Biden Biden is credited with a landslide victory in South Carolina in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, helping him win the party's nomination and ultimately the White House. Bloomberg has launched a brief bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Dole, a Republican, represents North Carolina in the Senate and has also served as secretary of transportation, secretary of labor, and president of the American Red Cross. She currently heads a foundation that supports military caregivers.
Pelosi is the first and only woman elected to the Speaker's post and second in line for presidential succession.
medgar evers He will be posthumously recognized for his work fighting racism more than 60 years ago as the NAACP's first field officer in Mississippi in the 1960s. He was 37 years old when he was shot and killed in the driveway of his home in June 1963.
Michelle Yeoh Last year, she made history by becoming the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Everything, Anywhere, All at Once”
jim thorpeHe died in 1953 and was the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal.
Co-founder: Judy Shepherd matthew shepard The foundation is named after her son, a 21-year-old gay University of Wyoming student who was beaten and tied to a fence in 1998.
“I was so touched,” Jones said after realizing what the caller had said.
“I'm 93 years old and have some health issues, but by the grace of God I was able to wake up this morning,” he told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. “I look forward to whatever the White House wants me to do.”
Other medal winners include:
— Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit Catholic priest who founded and runs Homeboy Industries, a gang intervention and rehabilitation program.
— Phil Donahue, journalist and former daytime television talk show host.
— katie ledeckythe most decorated female swimmer in history.
— Opal Lee, an activist best known for pushing for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday. Biden did so in 2021.
— Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space and the second female director of NASA's Johnson Space Center.
— Jane Rigby, astronomer and chief scientist of the world's most powerful telescope. She grew up in Biden's home state of Delaware.
— Teresa Romero, President united farm workers The union supported Biden's reelection bid and endorsed him in 2020.
In 2022, Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 17 people, including gymnasts. Simone Bilesthe late Sen. John McCain Arizona Republican Party, gun control supporter gabby giffords.
Biden also knows what it feels like to receive a medal.barack obama as president presented Biden.the vice president received the medal a week before his administration ended in 2017.
