Biden awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two Hispanics

President Joe Biden awarded this Thursday the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, to 17 outstanding people, including two Hispanics.

The Hispanic honorees were Julieta García, the first American woman of Mexican descent to preside over a university in the United States, and Raúl Yzaguirre, a human rights activist.

The medal honors those who “have made special meritorious contributions to the security or interests of the United States, world peace, culture, or other significant public and private sector endeavors.”

Other honorees included gymnast Simone Biles, soccer player Megan Rapinoe, former congresswoman and gun violence survivor Gabby Giffords, and the late Senator John McCain.

Julieta Garcia told the vounces of america that for her it was quite a surprise that it was “the president of the United States himself honoring them for the work we had done.”

García, who was rector of the University of Texas at Brownsville, assured that “it is a great pride and a privilege to be appointed to this honor and represent all Latinas in the United States.”

However, he said there is still “a lot of work that still needs to be done”, although he believes that the recognition “does give a little encouragement to see someone who has already achieved and honored the work”.

Gymnast Biles is the youngest person to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, at 25 years old. She has 32 World Championship and Olympic medals to her credit and has become a voice for athlete wellness and mental health.

Biden said that “when she stands at the podium, we see what it is: sheer courage to turn personal gain into a greater purpose: to go out and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

In McCain’s case, Biden said he was “the one who encouraged him to run for Senate” early in his political career.

Two other deceased were included in the recipients: Richard Trumka, former president of the AFL-CIO union, the largest labor union in the US; and Steve Jobs, founder of Apple.

The rest of the honorees were actor Denzel Washington, sister Simone Campbell, priest Alexander Karloutsos, Khizr Khan, nurse Sandra Lindsay, civil rights activists Diane Nash and Fred Gray, former senator Alan Simpson and general Wilma Vaught. .

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