Crow is the last living Plains Indian war chief, is the author of seminal works in Native American history and culture. President Barack Obama places a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom around the neck of Chita Rivera, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. He is the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his global, pioneering work extending "micro loans" to poor people who don't have collateral. All Rights Reserved, For Immediate ReleaseContact: Jim SpiegelmanVP/Communications & Public AffairsThe Aspen Institute Tel. "In fact, awarding the Medal of Freedom to Mary Robinson does great dishonor to the many outstanding men and women who have received it in the past," the coalition said in a statement. She is the first scientist to identify a chromosomal translocation as the cause of leukemia and other cancers. Dr. Greer is the founder of Camillus Health Concern, an agency that provides medical care to over 10,000 homeless patients a year in the city of Miami. The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. Mary Robinson and her work at Realizing Rights. His nephew, Stuart Milk, accepted the medal on his behalf. Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland, receives a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, Wednesday, Aug. 12, … Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way. Sen. Kennedy has championed causes including civil rights laws and health care reform during his long tenure in office. President Barack Obama reaches around the head dress of Chief Joseph Medicine Crow to place a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom around his neck, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. President Barack Obama holds the 2009 Medal of Freedom to be presented to Joanne Kemp, for her deceased husband, former Congressman Jack Kemp, during ceremonies at the White House in Washington on Aug. 12, 2009. She is the only woman to win U.S. singles titles on four surfaces (grass, clay, carpet, hard courts), was the first woman commissioner in professional sports history and the first woman to coach a co-ed team. The only girl in a family of four brothers, Mary Robinson learned early on what it takes to make sure all voices are heard. Robinson currently serves as the President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative at the Aspen Institute. Learn more about Mary Robinson and her work at Realizing Rights. "In fact, awarding the Medal of Freedom to Mary Robinson does great dishonor to the many outstanding men and women who have received it in the past," the coalition said in a statement. I have been deluged over the past ten days with e-mails, calls, etc. Read the statement from Realizing Rights on this honor. Lowery helped lead the Montgomery bus boycott after Rosa Parks' arrest and worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which he served as president from 1977 to 1997. President Barack Obama places the 2009 Medal of Freedom around the neck of Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, Jr., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. Among the 16 winners picked by President Obama this year for the high honor of receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom is a very strange choice indeed: ... Mary Robinson… Beyond that, it is a slap in the face to the pro-Israel community. President Barack Obama laughs with tennis great Billy Jean King in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, after presenting her with a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Joseph Lowery, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. President Obama will present the awards at a ceremony on Wednesday, August 12. ©2020 The Aspen Institute. He was the first black man to win an Academy Award, for his role as Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field (1963). The Institute is based in Washington, DC, Aspen, CO, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners. Last week the White House announced that Mary Robinson would be one of the recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor. President Barack Obama presents a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Nancy Goodman Brinker, the founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's leading breast cancer grassroots organization named for Brinker's sister, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. The White House has defended its decision to honor Ireland's first female president. O'Conner was the first female Supreme Court Justice. While Mary Robinson may have ... of America’s highest civilian honor. Over at Powerline, Paul Mirengoff specuiates about the political steps that may have led Prez O to honor Mary Robinson with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. President Barack Obama places a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom around his neck of Dr. Janet Davison Rowley, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. President Barack Obama presents a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rev. 31 /CSRwire/ - Washington, DC, July 31, 2009--The Aspen Institute proudly announces that Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland (1990-1997) and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), has been named one of 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom. An opponent of apartheid, he won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize. In announcing the awards, President Barack Obama said, “These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds.