Politics. On Point.

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                 November 16, 2015          President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Barack Obama named seventeen recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals 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. Th...

The White House announced the 2014 Medal of Freedom award recipients that include the likes of legendary dancer and founder of the Dance Theater of Harlem, Alvin Ailey, American music composer, song writer Stevie Wonder; actress and Academy Award winner Meryll Streep, and news anchor Tom Brokaw. The nominees will be honored at the White House on November 24th. Other nominees include author  Isabel Allende,    James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner , golf legend and pioneer , Mr. Charles Sifford ;  physicists and scientist  Mildred Dresselhaus , Congressman John Dingell, human rights advocate Ethel Kennedy ; writer and activist Suzan Harjo ,  Abner Mikva, congresswoman  Patsy Takemoto Mink  (R-Hawaii) ; Mexican-born House of Representative and Congressional Hispanic Caucus founder  Edward Roybal   (posthumous);   economist   Robert Solow;   theatre composer Stephen Sondheim ;  award-winning actress, p...

The First Family remarks on the passing of American novelist and poet, Dr. Maya Angelou today.  In his remarks President Obama writes: When her friend Nelson Mandela passed away last year, Maya Angelou wrote that “No sun outlasts its sunset, but will rise again, and bring the dawn.” Today, Michelle and I join millions around the world in remembering one of the brightest lights of our time – a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman . Over the course of her remarkable life, Maya was many things – an author, poet, civil rights activist, playwright, actress, director, composer, singer and dancer. But above all, she was a storyteller – and her greatest stories were true. A childhood of suffering and abuse actually drove her to stop speaking – but the voice she found helped generations of Americans find their rainbow amidst the clouds, and inspired the rest of us to be our best selves. In fact, she inspired my own mother to name my sister Maya. Like so m...

2013 Marks 50th Anniversary of President Kennedy’s Establishment of the Presidential Medal of Freedom A nice , and notable, group of Americans are slated to receive the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals 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. The awards will be presented at the White House later this year. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Executive Order signed by President John F. Kennedy establishing the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as well as the first ceremony bestowing the honor on an inaugural class of 31 recipients.  Since that time, more than 500 exceptional individuals from all corners of society have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freed...