President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to over a dozen individuals on Saturday (Jan. 4) with Black trailblazers front and center.

Hollywood legend Denzel Washington, basketball icon Earvin “Magic” Johnson, and civil rights hero Fannie Lou Hamer, recognized posthumously, were among those who received the nation’s highest civilian honor in Biden’s final ceremony as president.

Washington, a two-time Academy Award winner and a beacon of Black storytelling, was honored for his decades-long career as an actor, director, and humanitarian.

“Magic” Johnson, the basketball star turned business mogul, was recognized not only for his athletic achievements but also for his enduring impact on the fight against HIV/AIDS and his investments in underserved communities. 

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Since disclosing his HIV diagnosis in 1991, Johnson has become a leading advocate for awareness and treatment.

Civil Rights trailblazer Hamer was posthumously honored for her fearless fight against voter suppression and her role in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.

Alongside these Black luminaries, the honorees included former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, philanthropist George Soros, and the late Robert F. Kennedy.