President Biden Awards National Humanities Medal To Brown University President Emerita Ruth J. Simmons

She has been recognized for her impact as a trailblazing leader and educator. The National Humanities Medal is a prestigious medal for recognizing the contributions of such leaders.

Study in US: U.S. President Joe Biden has awarded the prestigious National Humanities Medal to Brown University President Emerita Ruth J. Simmons at the White House.

A statement by the White House said that she was honoured for her trailblazing presidency at Brown University and for pioneering equity in the U.S. higher education system. She became the first Black president of an Ivy League university.

While addressing the late-October ceremony where she was awarded the medal, Biden said, “With absolute courage, you combat racial stereotypes, confront ghosts of history and speak truth to power."

“You’ve all broken barriers, you’ve blazed new trails, and you’ve redefined culture. You are the truth tellers, bridge builders, chain seekers, and above all, you are the masters of your craft that have made us a better America with all you have done," added President Biden.

Simmons' National Humanities Medal: More Details

While citing Simmons, the White House said "She was one of 12 children born into a sharecropper family in Texas who went on to serve as a distinguished professor of literature and college president, showing how an education makes one free and fearless.”

While commenting on the medal, Simmons said, “At a time when the study of the humanities appears to hold less sway, I am immensely honored to be acknowledged as one who has contributed to emphasizing the importance of these critical fields. I owe my understanding of my place in the world and my optimism about the good that we can collectively achieve to the history, art, culture and philosophy that I studied. My hope is that every student could benefit from greater lifelong familiarity with and enjoyment of the humanities," according to a news release from Rice.

Simmons' Journey At Brown University

She served as the Brown’s 18th president from 2001 to 2012. During her tenure at Brown, she took a bold initiative to reveal the university's historical ties to racial slavery which resulted in the 2006 Report of the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. Her efforts also led to the establishment of a research centre dedicated to studying justice and slavery. In her honour in 2023, this centre was renamed as the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

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