President Biden awards Mississippi civil rights icon [View all]

Source: ABC

WASHINGTON —

Mississippian civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

On Saturday, President Joe Biden awarded 19 recipients the prestigious medal at the White House.

Hamer is the 11th person from Mississippi to receive the award. The Delta native is known as one of the most important voices in the Civil Rights Movement.

Doris Hamer Richardson, the niece of Hamer's husband, accepted the award on behalf of the family.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor, presented to people who have made exemplary contributions to the United States.

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