Bono Thank you Joe Biden After Receiving Presidential Medal of Freedom

Bono is expressing his gratitude after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The mythical U2 frontman used to be amongst 19 folks to obtain the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s best possible civilian honor, from President Joe Biden throughout a rite on the White Area on Saturday (Jan. 4).

“Thanks President Biden. Frontmen don’t do humble, however lately I used to be,” Bono wrote on U2’s Instagram account after receiving the medal. “Rock n roll gave me my freedom… and with it the privilege to paintings along those that’ve needed to struggle such a lot more difficult for theirs. And I need to give it up for my band pals – Edge, Adam, and Larry – with out whom I’d by no means have discovered my voice.”

Together with receiving the respect, Bono wrote an essay for The Atlantic, titled “The Beautiful, Unglamorous Paintings of Freedom,” exploring the hyperlink between tune and the search for freedom.

“Freedom is a phrase that turns up with embarrassing frequency in rock-and-roll songs,” Bono started the op-ed, bringing up Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” for example.

“The explanation I’m mountaineering in this slippery soapbox referred to as ‘freedom’ lately is that I’m being given a presidential medal through that title—an honor I’m receiving principally for the paintings of others, amongst them my bandmates and our fellow activists—and it’s were given me pondering once more in regards to the topic,” the Irish rocker persevered. “Once we rock stars speak about freedom, we extra regularly imply libertinism than liberation, however rising up within the Eire of the Nineteen Sixties, the latter had its position too. We had been mad for freedoms we didn’t have: political freedom, spiritual freedom, and (maximum unquestionably) sexual freedom.”

In honoring Bono, the White Area highlighted the singer as a “pioneering activist in opposition to AIDS and poverty,” noting his position in uniting politicians from opposing events to create the U.S. PEPFAR AIDS program. He’s additionally the co-founder of advocacy organizations ONE and (RED).

Different Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients this 12 months integrated Hillary Clinton, Michael J. Fox, NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, football icon Lionel Messi, Invoice Nye the Science Man, Fashion editor Anna Wintour, George Soros, clothier Ralph Lauren, chef José Andrés and conservationist Jane Goodall.

“President Biden believes nice leaders stay the religion, give everybody an excellent shot, and put decency above all else,” the White Area wrote in a remark. “Those nineteen persons are nice leaders who’ve made The usa and the arena a greater position. They’re nice leaders as a result of they’re just right individuals who have made ordinary contributions to their nation and the arena.”

Watch Bono obtain the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Biden in a video right here.