LOS ANGELES — Father Gregory Boyle, founder and director of Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries, is one of 19 new recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the White House's highest civilian honor. be.
President Joe Biden presented the medals to Boyle and 18 others at a ceremony at the White House on Friday.
Mr. Biden said Mr. Boyle's work “reminds us of the power of redemption and rehabilitation, and of our obligation to those who have been convicted and left uncounted.”
“This recognition is encouraging as it honors the thousands of men and women who have come to Homeboy Industries since 1988,” said Boyle. “It recognizes their dignity and nobility and the courage of their kindness. It emphasizes for all of us an invitation to no longer punish the wound, but seek its healing. We recognize the need to invest in people and create communities of valued belonging together.” ”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Boyle became a Jesuit in 1972 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1984. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from Gonzaga University, a master's degree in English from Marymount University, and a master's degree in theology from Weston College. He graduated from seminary and received a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.
Founded in 1988 as Jobs for the Future, Homeboy Industries eventually became the world's largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program. Its core program serves about 10,000 people a year in Los Angeles while serving as a global model for hundreds of organizations around the world, officials said.
In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Boyle founded Homeboy's first social enterprise, which he named Homeboy Bakery, in an abandoned bakery across the street from a church. Over 30 years later, Boyle's business has evolved into his 13 social enterprises.
In addition to job training, Homeboy Industries provides a comprehensive range of relationship-based services, including tattoo removal, legal, education, housing services, substance use disorder support, and mental health and wellness.
Boyle has written three books, including the 2010 New York Times bestseller “Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion.”
Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Medal of Freedom is an annual award given by the president to someone who has made an “extraordinary contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or other important public or private activity.” awarded to individuals who have I'll do my best. ”
