Chita Rivera Responds To President Obama's Medal Of Freedom Honor

Two-time Tony Award winner Chita Rivera has released a statement in response to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.

"When my mother was a child, she rolled Easter eggs on the lawn of the White House. And now, to receive The Medal of Freedom from our President, is truly a dream. I am deeply honored to receive this award and to be in such distinguished company. I only wish my parents were here to share it with...but they are!"

On July 30, 2009, Chita Rivera was named by President Obama as one of 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom. America's highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

This year's awardees were chosen for their work as agents of change. Among their many accomplishments in fields ranging from sports and art to science and medicine to politics and public policy, these men and women have changed the world for the better. They have blazed trails and broken down barriers. They have discovered new theories, launched new initiatives, and opened minds to new possibilities.

President Obama said, "These outstanding men and women represent an incredible diversity of backgrounds. Their tremendous accomplishments span fields from science to sports, from fine arts to foreign affairs. Yet they share one overarching trait: Each has been an agent of change. Each saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way. Their relentless devotion to breaking down barriers and lifting up their fellow citizens sets a standard to which we all should strive. It is my great honor to award them the Medal of Freedom."

An accomplished and versatile actress/singer/dancer, Chita Rivera has won Two Tony Awards (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Rink) and received seven additional Tony Award nominations. She received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor (2002) and was the first Hispanic to receive this award. She also starred in the original Broadway productions Chicago, Bye Bye Birdie, Jerry's Girls. Her electric performance as Anita in the original Broadway premiere of West Side Story (1957) brought her stardom. She recently recreated her starring role in the Kander/Ebb/McNally musical The Visit at the Signature Theatre, and starred in The Dancer's Life, an autobiographical musical about her celebrated life in the theatre (on Broadway and tour).

Additional starring roles include The Visit, Nine, Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Seventh Heaven, Mr. Wonderful, Born Yesterday, The Rose Tattoo, Call Me Madam, Threepenny Opera, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, Zorba among many others.

President Obama will present the awards at a ceremony on Wednesday, August 12 at The White House.

The following individuals will receive the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom: Chita Rivera, Nancy Goodman Brinker (founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure), Pedro Jose Greer, Jr (physician/Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the Florida International University School of medicine), Stephen Hawking (theoretical physicist), Jack Kemp (who passed away in May 2009; former US Congressman, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Nominee for Vice President), Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Billie Jean King (acclaimed professional tennis player), Rev. Joseph Lowery (US civil rights movement leader), Joe Medicine Crow-High Bird (lat living Plains Indian war chief, author), Harvey Milk (pioneer of the LGBT civil rights movement), Sandra Day O'Connor (first woman to sit on the US Supreme Court), Sidney Poitier (groundbreaking actor), Mary Robinson (first female President of Ireland), Janet Davison Rowley, MD (geneticist), Desmond Tutu (Anglician Archbishop emeritus, leading anti-apartheid activist), Muhammad Yunus (global leader in anti-poverty efforts, Nobel Peace Prize winner 2006)