WASHINGTON, D.C. – A trio of Black giants was among the 16 honorees who received the 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom on July 7.
Attorney Fred Gray, nurse Sandra Lindsay and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles all received the nation’s most prestigious honor for citizens. Denzel Washington was scheduled to be the fourth Black person and 17th overall person to receive a medal, but he missed the ceremony due to contracting COVID-19.
“It’s kind of scary because it is the best award you could receive for your whole life,” Biles said. “So now it’s kind of scary, like ‘Oh, what do I do now?’ But it’s a huge honor. I’m excited to be here, especially with my family, my agents and all the other recipients, so this is an exciting morning.”
Gray, 91, is an Alabama civil rights attorney who represented the likes of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the years. “The chief counsel for the protest movement,” as King called him, played a pivotal role in securing voting rights and desegregating schools.
“A patriarch of the movement, Fred Gray a lawyer by trade, a preacher at heart who follows the command to treat people well, love well and establish justice with dignity,” Gray’s introduction read.
Lindsay is a New York critical care nurse who became the first American, outside of the clinical trials, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“At the height of the pandemic, she directed a team full of nurses as they worked tirelessly to help other people at the risk of their own lives,” Lindsay’s introduction read.
Biles, 25, became the youngest person to receive the honor. The decorated gymnast, who has won seven Olympic gold medals, has used her platform to speak out about issues like mental health, the foster care system, racism and women’s rights.
“You can do anything you put your mind to,” Biles said. “Speak up, use your platform, stay authentic, be yourself and stay true to yourself. Go out there and have fun in whatever your venture is.”
