November 2, 2024

President Joseph R. Biden presented the 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals, in conjunction with the National Medals of Arts, on Monday, October 21, 2024, in a private ceremony at the White House.

The 19 distinguished medal recipients are historians, educators, filmmakers, and writers, including three who have appeared at SDHC events over the past decade:

• Robin Wall Kimmerer, botanist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, presented at the 2017 South Dakota Festival of Books in Deadwood.
• Joy Harjo, U.S. Poet Laureate 2019-2022, told stories, read poetry, played music, and signed books at an SDHC grant-funded event in 2019 in Brookings.
• Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. Poet Laureate 2015-2017, wrote the 2021 Young Readers One Book, Imagine/Imagina, and recorded a video for South Dakota youth as part of that year’s virtual Young Readers Festival.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, and National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo) made remarks at the celebration.

“The National Humanities Medal recipients have enriched our world through writing that moves and inspires us; scholarship that enlarges our understanding of the past; and through their dedication to educating, informing, and giving voice to communities and histories often overlooked,” said Chair Lowe. “I am proud to join President Biden in recognizing these distinguished leaders for their outstanding contributions to our nation’s cultural life.” 

The National Humanities Medal honors an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history or literature, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources.

The following 19 recipients comprise the 2022 and 2023 cohorts of the National Humanities Medal:

2022 National Humanities Medalists: 

• Wallis Annenberg, philanthropist 
• Appalshop, community arts and programming center
• Joy Harjo, poet
• Robin Harris, principal and educator  
• Juan Felipe Herrera, writer
• Robert Martin, administrator in Indigenous higher education 
• Jon Meacham, writer and historian 
• Ruth J. Simmons, academic administrator in higher education 
• Pauline Yu, scholar of Chinese literature
   

2023 National Humanities Medalists: 

• Anthony Bourdain (posthumous), chef and author 
• LeVar Burton, actor and literacy advocate
• Roz Chast, cartoonist and author 
• Nicolás Kanellos, scholar and publisher of Hispanic literature 
• Robin Wall Kimmerer, scholar and author 
• Mellon Foundation, philanthropic organization
• Dawn Porter, filmmaker 
• Aaron Sorkin, playwright, screenwriter, and director 
• Darren Walker, social justice philanthropist
• Rosita Worl, anthropologist and cultural leader 

Learn more and watch video of the ceremony at https://www.neh.gov/news/president-biden-awards-2022-and-2023-national-humanities-medals

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