“It’s a choice we make, choose union progress over chaosliterally the truth about the lies, the choice to remember history, not erase it, no matter how difficult it is,” he said.
The United States is “a great nation, in large part because of the power of the arts and humanities etched into the DNA” of the country, he continued.
“The work of our honorees is as diverse as the nation” but their “common threads” form the fabric of America: “the pursuit of excellence, the drive to create, the yearning to connect and the audacity” to be “builders of bridges and changes,” Biden summed up.
During the ceremony, held in the East Room of the White House, the Democratic president had words for each of the attendees, “all of them masters of their trade.”
“the troubadour”
The president described the “Boss” or “El Jefe”, nickname of the musician Bruce Springsteenas a “troubadour of American life, resilience, hope, and dreams.”
The New Jersey rock legend is one of those people “who are born to run,” the president joked, referring to his 20 Grammy Awards, one Oscar, thousands of concerts and millions of fans around the world.
Notably absent was José Feliciano, who is on tour and who, according to Biden, is part of the “pioneering artists” who unite cultures and styles and open doors for Latinos.
Feliciano, who was born blind in Puerto Rico, was one of the first Latinos to make it big in the United States and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Six hundred songs behind him over the course of 60 years, including the famous “Merry Christmas”, endorse his musical career.
Other artists honored with this medal include designer Vera Wang and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
And also the American singer Gladys Knight, known as “the Empress of Soul”, of whom Biden declares himself a fan and whose talent inspired generations of artists.
The list is completed by Mindy Kaling, Judith Francisca Baca, Fred Eychaner, Antonio Martorell-Cardona, Joan Shigekawa, The Billie Holiday Theater and The International Association of Blacks in Dance.
During the ceremony, which was attended by the first lady, Jill Biden, and the vice president, Kamala Harris, the National Humanities Medal was also awarded.
It was received, among others, by the poet Richard Blanco, known for the poem One Today (Un Hoy), which he read at Barack Obama’s second inauguration as president in 2013.
Biden read a fragment of the famous poem by this son of Cuban immigrants.
Other honorees include historians, writers, academics and activists: Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Walter Isaacson, Earl Lewis, Henrietta Mann, Ann Patchett, Bryan Stevenson, Amy Tan, Tara Westover, Colson Whitehead, Native America Calling and singer Elton John , who received the medal last September.
These are prizes from the 2021 edition that could not be delivered due to the covid-19 pandemic.