In a move that will probably infuriate her critics further, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will be honored with a special 2021 Profile in Courage award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The award will be presented "for her service during the Covid-19 pandemic," and Whitmer is one of seven individuals to get the special award.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (File photo)
Caroline Kennedy, President Kennedy's last surviving child, and her son, Jack Schlossberg, will present the honor this month in a virtual ceremony.
The governor's office issued a press release reading in part:
“It is my honor to accept this prestigious award on behalf of every Michigander who stepped up to help their family and community through the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “I am humbled by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the Kennedy Family for their recognition. We must all strive to live up to the call of public service put forward by President Kennedy decades ago and exemplified by the heroes on the frontlines of this pandemic who are putting shots in arms and working tirelessly in schools, stores, and hospitals statewide.”
“Today’s honorees put their own lives at risk to keep others safe. They inspire us all with their courage and give new meaning to President Kennedy’s legacy of public service,” said Caroline Kennedy, honorary president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
The other six honorees of the Covid award are a mix of public officials, health-care workers and average Americans whose actions during the pandemic were in service to others. They are Dr. Amy Acton, the former state health director in Ohio; Burnell Cotlon, owner of a market in a low-income New Orleans neighborhood; Fred Freeman, fire-department captain in Hanover, Mass.; Antonio Greene, an Amazon driver in South Carolina; Lauren Leander, intensive-care nurse in Arizona; and Darrell R. Marks, an academic advisor to Native Americans in Arizona.
