Jul 30, 2009 6:59 pm US/Pacific
Harvey Milk To Receive Posthumous Medal Of Freedom
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP) ―
The late San Francisco supervisor and gay rights champion Harvey Milk will be one of 16 people to be awarded the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom, according to a White House announcement.
The medals, which represent the country's highest honor for a civilian, are to be the first to be awarded by President Barack Obama. He will present the awards at a ceremony on Aug. 12.
Other names on the list are: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, tennis legend Billie Jean King, archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Race for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker, physicist Stephen Hawking, and civil rights activist Rev. Joseph Lowery. Former Rep. Jack Kemp, who died in May, will, like Milk, receive a posthumous award.
In a statement released by the White House, President Obama said, "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way.
"Their relentless devotion to breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens sets a standard to which we all should strive. It is my great honor to award them the Medal of Freedom."
Milk was elected supervisor in 1977, becoming the first openly gay elected official in a major U.S. city. He was a champion for equal rights, encouraging gays and lesbians to live their lives in the open. He was shot and killed in 1978 by former supervisor Dan White, who also killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone.
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