Presidential Medal of Freedom

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.

Stephen Hawking

President Barack Obama holds the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to be presented Stephen Hawking on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. The Cambridge University physicist and mathematician is known for his work on black holes and his best-selling 1988 book "A Brief History of Time." He has been almost completely paralyzed for years and communicates through an electronic voice synthesizer.

Jack Kemp

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. Kemp was also a professional football player, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the 1996 vice-presidential candidate.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy

President Barack Obama holds the 2009 Medal of Freedom to be presented to Kara Kennedy, for her father Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. Sen. Kennedy has championed causes including civil rights laws and health care reform during his long tenure in office. He will remain on Cape Cod following the death Tuesday of his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Billie Jean King

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. 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.

Joseph Lowery

President Barack Obama presents a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rev. Joseph Lowery, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. 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.

Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk, a gay political leader in San Francisco, is seen pictured in his camera store on Castro Street in San Francisco, June 28, 1977. Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, was assassinated in 1978. His nephew, Stuart Milk, accepted the medal on his behalf.

Sidney Poitier

Actor Sidney Poitier, left, listens as President Barack Obama speaks during presentation ceremonies for the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. He was the first black man to win an Academy Award, for his role as Homer Smith in Lilies of the Field (1963).

Chita Rivera

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. She is an actor, singer, dancer and winner of two Tony Awards.

Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland, receives a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. She also has served as U.N. high commissioner for human rights.

Desmond Tutu

President Barack Obama places a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom around his neck of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. An opponent of apartheid, he won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize.

Muhammad Yunus

President Barack Obama places a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom around the neck of Muhammad Yunus, 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.

Sandra Day O'Connor

President Barack Obama places a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom around the neck of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. O'Conner was the first female Supreme Court Justice.

Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, Jr.

President Barack Obama places the 2009 Medal of Freedom around the neck of Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, Jr., Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. 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.

Dr. Janet Davison Rowley

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. She is the first scientist to identify a chromosomal translocation as the cause of leukemia and other cancers.

Chief Joseph Medicine Crow

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. Crow is the last living Plains Indian war chief, is the author of seminal works in Native American history and culture.