Obama honors Spielberg, Streisand, and Sondheim with Medal of Freedom
President Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to several notable names in entertainment, sports, and politics Tuesday, including filmmaker Steven Spielberg, baseball legend Willie Mays, singer and actress Barbra Streisand, and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md).
Iframe Code
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Iframe Code
Obama said the recipients contributed "to America's strength as a nation," and pointed out the different ways they made a difference in the country. Mays, he said, "helped carry forward the banner of civil rights. It's because of giants like Willie that someone like me could even think about running for president." Spielberg creates films that are "marked by a faith in our common humanity," and NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson had the task of calculating trajectories for the first U.S. mission in space and the Apollo 11 moon landing. "If you think your job is pressure-packed, hers meant that forgetting to carry the one might send somebody floating off into the solar system," Obama said.
Iframe Code
Iframe Code
Other honorees include composer Stephen Sondheim; conductor and violinist Itzhak Perlman; singer Gloria Estefan; music producer Emilio Estefan; veterans activist Bonnie Carroll; singer James Taylor; former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton; and former EPA head William Ruckelshaus. Baseball great Yogi Berra; Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress; Indian treaty rights advocate Billy Frank Jr.; and civil rights activist Minoru Yasui were all honored posthumously. Yasui took a stand in 1942 by ignoring the military curfew for Japanese Americans and going for a walk in Portland, and Obama said his legacy has "never been more important. It is a call to our national conscience, a reminder of our enduring obligation to be the land of the free and the home of the brave, an America worthy of his sacrifice."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
AI is causing concern among the LGBTQ community
In the Spotlight One critic believes that AI will 'always fail LGBTQ people'
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'Modern presidents exercise power undreamed of by the Founding Fathers'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 15, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - flamingos in flight, taxes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How will Israel respond to Iran's direct attack?
Speed Read Iran’s weekend attack on Israel could escalate into a wider Middle East war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Congress honors real-life Rosie the Riveters
Speed Read These American women reshaped the work force during World War II
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Outgunned Ukraine could fall, US general warns
Speed Read Without more US aid, Ukraine is at risk of losing the war
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
House GOP scuttles FISA vote at Trump's urging
Speed Read Right-wing lawmakers blocked Speaker Mike Johnson's surveillance bill
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden pitches student loan forgiveness for millions
Speed Read The latest relief plan would benefit nearly 30 million borrowers
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published