Denzel Washington and Magic Johnson Honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom [Video]

Among his final acts as president, Joe Biden recently presented the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to over a dozen individuals, including Denzel Washington and Magic Johnson.

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The heartfelt and memorable ceremony took place in the East Room of the White House and featured a prestigious guest list including politicians and other big-name public figures such as the Kennedy family. The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy was honored during the event, with his daughter Kerry accepting the award on her father and Kennedy’s behalf.

Also included as recipients were other individuals who are shaking things up in their respective industries. In addition to Washington and Johnson, a retired NBA icon, civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer (posthumously), former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, U2 frontman Bono, and science educator Bill Nye also received the award.

Additionally, on Friday, President Biden took a moment to highlight the heroism of seven United States Army soldiers with the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military accolade. Six of the awards were posthumous and honored the servicemen who made major strides during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

“These are genuine, to their core, heroes… who all went above and beyond the call of duty,” Biden said of the servicemen.