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Gladys Knight, Bruce Springsteen, and more were honored by President Joe Biden at the White House.

Since 1997, the President of the United States, with the backing of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has honored outstanding individuals in the fields of acting, music, art, and performing with the National Medal of Arts. According to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the purpose of this medal is to honor “individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities and broadened our citizens’ engagement with history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects.”

This week, United States President Joe Biden offered this prestigious award to several of the country’s most decorated performers and entertainers, including musician Bruce Springsteen, singer/songwriter Gladys Knight, actress Mindy Kaling, designer Vera Wang, and many more.

“We’re a nation, a great nation, in large part because of the power of the arts and humanities. That’s stamped into the DNA of America,” Biden said during the award ceremony held in the White House’s East Room. “Today … (we) continue the legacy of awarding two of our nation’s highest honors to 23 extraordinary Americans.”

President Biden presents National Medal of Arts to Bruce @springsteen. pic.twitter.com/iNoUBtZQRn

— CSPAN (@cspan) March 21, 2023

In addition to the Medal of Arts, Biden also honored 11 recipients of the National Humanities Medal, which is awarded to those who have “deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities,” according to the National Endowment for the Humanities.