FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 11, 2022

MEDIA CONTACT: 

e: dan.kalmowitz@mail.house.gov

c: 347.387.5123

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Robin Kelly (IL-02), and Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, issued the following statement congratulating the three Black women granted Presidential Medals of Freedom on July 7, 2022:

“Late last week, President Biden bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the United States’ highest civilian honor – upon seventeen of our nation’s most deserving, most exceptional individuals. Among this year’s honorees were three truly trailblazing Black women. In their hearts, they are a nurse, an athlete, and an activist; yet each of these women has surpassed every blueprint and every expectation to rise above and earn this sacred recognition through nothing but their extraordinary lives and will to persist,” said the co-chairs. “We, the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, congratulate Sandra Lindsay, Simone Biles, and Diane Nash – not only on receiving this incredible honor, but for every achievement along the way that delivered them to this day. From fighting on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and normalizing the use of its vaccine for millions, to representing this country on the Olympic stage more successfully than any other American in history and de-stigmatizing conversations surrounding mental health for countless athletes, to being a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement and pushing this country forward in its struggle for equality, each of these women have led lives worthy of this and every recognition. They may hail from distinct backgrounds and generations, but each share the unique story that is Black excellence. For their ceaseless commitment to redefining possibilities, may our nation continue to honor them long into tomorrow.”

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