At the White House, the 91-year-old civil rights attorney and Church of Christ elder receives his nation’s highest civilian honor
Hamil Harris
Correspondent
WASHINGTON — The East Room of the White House was filled with American heroes Thursday including Fred Gray, one of 17 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“When Dr. King, Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin and John Lewis and other giants of our history needed a lawyer for their fight for freedom, you know who they called? They called a guy named Fred Gray. That’s who they called,” President Joe Biden told the room of family members, political dignitaries and reporters. He presented the honorees — including gymnast Simone Biles and former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — with the nation’s highest civilian honor.
