白宫周五宣布了下一批总统自由勋章获得者名单。
奥运会体操运动员西蒙·比尔斯、枪支管制倡导者嘉贝丽·吉佛斯和演员丹泽尔·华盛顿等17人被选为接受该国最高民事荣誉的个人。仪式将于7月7日星期四在白宫举行。
已故参议员约翰·麦凯恩(John McCain)是一名紫心勋章获得者，在2018年死于胶质母细胞瘤之前，他在国会代表亚利桑那州数十年，将在死后被授予这一荣誉。
拜登和麦凯恩的友谊可以追溯到20世纪70年代，两人在参议院任职期间曾在许多问题上合作。2018年，拜登在麦凯恩的追悼会上发表了感人的悼词，称“我们不会再看到他这样的人了。”
苹果联合创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯和前美国劳工联合会-产业工会联合会主席理查德·特拉姆卡也将获得追授奖项。
乔·拜登总统将是第一位亲自获得奖牌后颁发奖牌的总统。前总统巴拉克·奥巴马在2017年向拜登颁发了奖章，拜登当时担任副总统。
“这一荣誉不仅远远超出了我应得的，而且也反映了你的慷慨精神，”拜登在仪式上动情地告诉奥巴马。“我不值得这样。但我知道这是总统的心声。”
总统自由勋章授予那些“对美国的安全或国家利益、对世界和平、对文化或其他重要的公共或私人事业做出特别有价值的贡献”的人
“这17名美国人展示了可能性的力量，体现了国家的灵魂——努力工作、坚持不懈和信念，”白宫说。“他们克服了重大障碍，在艺术和科学领域取得了令人印象深刻的成就，毕生致力于为我们当中最弱势的群体代言，并勇敢行动，推动他们所在社区乃至全世界的变革，同时为后代开辟道路。”
以下是其他11位自由勋章获得者的名单:
Simone Campbell - Campbell修女是社会服务修女会的成员，是经济正义、移民改革和医疗保健政策的杰出倡导者。
Julieta García - García博士是第一位担任大学校长的拉美裔女性，她曾在布朗斯维尔的德克萨斯大学担任最高职位。
弗雷德·格雷-格雷是阿拉巴马州议会重建以来的第一批黑人议员之一，也是一位杰出的民权律师，他的客户包括罗莎·帕克斯和马丁·路德·金博士。
亚历山大·卡鲁索斯-卡鲁索斯神父是美国希腊东正教大主教区的前副主教，作为一名牧师，他曾为几位美国总统提供咨询
khi Zr Khan——巴基斯坦移民，他的儿子在美国军队服役时被杀，Khan曾在拜登领导下的美国国际宗教自由委员会工作。
纽约重症护理护士桑德拉·林赛是第一个接种新冠肺炎疫苗的美国人。
黛安·纳什-学生非暴力协调委员会的创始人，纳什与金和其他民权领袖密切合作。
梅根·拉皮诺埃-世界冠军和奥运会足球明星，Rapinoe也是一个性别薪酬平等，种族公正和LGBTQI+权利的倡导者。
艾伦·辛普森-辛普森在美国参议院服务了近20年，在竞选财务改革和婚姻平等等问题上发挥了领导作用。
威尔玛·沃特-沃特是美国军事史上获得勋章最多的女性之一。
劳尔·伊扎吉雷(Raúl Yzaguirre - Yzaguirre)是一名民权倡导者，曾担任La Raza首席执行官兼全国委员会主席30年，并曾任美国驻多米尼加共和国大使。
Biden to award Medal of Freedom to McCain, Biles and more
The White House on Friday announced the next list of recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords and actor Denzel Washington are among the 17 individuals chosen to receive the nation's highest civilian honor. The ceremony will take place at the White House on Thursday, July 7.
Late Sen. John McCain, a Purple Heart recipient who represented the state of Arizona in Congress for decades before succumbing to glioblastoma in 2018, will be awarded the honor posthumously.
Biden and McCain's friendship dated back to the 1970s, and the two worked together on a number of issues during their time in the Senate. In 2018, Biden delivered a moving eulogy at McCain's memorial service, stating "we will not see his like again."
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and former AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka also will receive posthumous awards.
President Joe Biden will be the first president to award the medals after already receiving one himself. Former President Barack Obama presented the medal to Biden in 2017, who was then serving as vice president.
"This honor is not only well beyond what I deserve, but it's a reflection of the generosity of your spirit," an emotional Biden told Obama during the ceremony. "I don't deserve this. But I know it came from the president's heart."
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is awarded to people who have "made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."
"These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith," the White House said. "They 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."
Here's a list of the other 11 Medal of Freedom recipients:
Sister Simone Campbell - Campbell is a member of Sisters of Social Service, and a prominent advocate for economic justice, immigration reform, and healthcare policy.
Dr. Julieta García - García was the first Hispanic woman to serve as a college president, having served in the top position at The University of Texas at Brownsville.
Fred Gray - Gray was one of the first Black members of the Alabama State legislature since Reconstruction, and a distinguished civil rights attorney whose clients included Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Father Alexander Karloutsos - Karloutsos is a former Vicar General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, and as a priest provided counsel to several U.S. presidents
Khizr Khan - a Pakistani immigrant whose son was killed while serving in the U.S. Army, Khan served on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom under Biden.
Sandra Lindsay - Lindsay, a New York critical care nurse, was the first American to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Diane Nash - a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Nash worked closely with King and other civil rights leaders.
Megan Rapinoe - a World Champion and Olympic soccer star, Rapinoe is also an advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice, and LGBTQI+ rights.
Alan Simpson - Simpson has served in the U.S. Senate for nearly two decades, leading on issues such as campaign finance reform and marriage equality.
Raúl Yzaguirre - Yzaguirre is a civil rights advocate who served as CEO and president of National Council of La Raza for 30 years, and was once the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
