KUALA LUMPUR – Oscar-winning actress Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh is among 19 people to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest civilian award dished out by the United States.
It is to pay homage to the “firsts” in their field. In the case of Yeoh, she is the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Other recipients include American swimmer Katie Ledecky, who won seven Olympic gold medals, assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers, and television host Phil Donahue.
Other “firsts” are Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space, and Jim Thorpe, the versatile athlete who became the first Native American to win an Olympic gold medal in 1912, reported Reuters.
US President Joe Biden, who will be handing out the awards today, also included key allies from his Democratic Party, such as Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn.
Former senator Elizabeth Dole, former vice-president Al Gore, ex-state secretary John Kerry and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg are on the list. – May 3, 2024