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Two Long Islanders — Sandra Lindsay and Father Alexander Karloutsos — were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony by US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday.
Lindsey, a nurse at Northwell Health, based in New Hyde Park, was honored for becoming the first American woman to receive an approved vaccine against COVID-19 and for her continued advocacy for equity in public health. Carloutsos – or Father Alex as he is known – from Southampton was honored for his role as a priest advising US presidents over the past 50 years.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, awarded to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, and to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
Lindsey and Carloutsos were among 17 honored with the honor. Others include Denzel Washington, Simone Biles, Fred Gray and Steve Jobs.
“The week of the Fourth of July reminds us of what brought us together a long time ago and still binds us together — binds us together in the best way we strive for,” Biden said at the ceremony. “We the people are doing what we can to ensure that the idea of America, the cause of freedom, shines like the sun to illuminate the future of the world.” It is the soul of our nation. This is who we are as Americans.
“At 18, Sandra Lindsey immigrated to Queens, New York, from Jamaica to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse,” Biden said. “During the height of the pandemic, she poured her heart into helping patients fight for their lives and keeping her fellow nurses safe. And when the time came, she was the first American woman to get vaccinated completely outside of clinical trials.
The president continued by saying, “Sandra, as I told you before, if there are angels in heaven, they are all nurses. Sandra’s vaccination card, hospital scrubs and badge are part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s COVID-19 exhibit, and today she is receiving our nation’s highest civilian honor.”
In honoring Carloutsos, Biden said, “For more than 50 years, your leadership in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America has meant something to every prelate in the Greek Church,” according to Religion News Service.
“A man of deep moral clarity and calling, you have counseled generations of presidents and parishioners with unparalleled humility and grace,” Biden said.
Those recognized have achieved “impressive achievements in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted boldly to drive change in their communities – and around the world – while blazing a trail for generations to come.” according to a White House statement.
“During the pandemic, as I worked with my fellow nurses and colleagues on the front lines, we waited for that glimmer of hope – a vaccine – to help us carry on. I was honored to raise my hand and volunteer to take the vaccine,” Lindsey said in a statement via Northwell Health. “I am extremely grateful to President Biden for recognizing this important day and my continued efforts to end vaccine hesitancy and promote health care for everyone, no matter where you live, who you are, or the color of your skin.”
“This is what they call incredible grace,” Carloutsos said in an interview with Religion News Service. “You don’t think that when you’re in the service you should be honored for something you would naturally do anyway.”
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