WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — Friday marks the two-year anniversary of the insurrection on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020.
As part of the anniversary, President Biden hosted a ceremony marking the date and presented 12 individuals with the Presidential Citizens Medal.
The award winners were selected because of their "courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation."
A White House official says that these individuals include Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police, election workers and officials at the state and local level.
The Presidential Citizens Medal is one of the nation's highest civilian honors and is awarded to individuals who have “performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens.”
Among the recipients is Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
The White House gave this statement about Benson:
Jocelyn Benson served as the Secretary of State of Michigan during the 2020 election and faced pressure from those seeking to overturn the election results, including armed protesters outside her home. Benson received the 2022 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award.
Benson testified before a Senate Committee regarding threats aimed at election officials leading up to and after the 2020 election.
In her testimony, she shared a story of protestors showing up at her home and "waking my neighbors shouting obscenities and graphic threats into bullhorns."
She also shared that the protestors made an impact on her 6-year-old son and said "there is an omnipresent feeling of anxiety and dread that permeates our daily lives and those of our families."
Benson took to Twitter on Thursday to acknowledge the award by saying:
"I’m deeply honored to receive the Presidential Citizen Medal from @POTUS for our work to ensure democracy prevails in Michigan and throughout the nation, alongside the heroes who stood guard over the nation’s electoral votes at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
This extraordinary recognition gives me hope that we will emerge out of this time with a democracy that is stronger, healthier, and more robust than ever before. That is what I fight for, have hope for, and what I have confidence that all of us working together can achieve."
The ceremony took place on Friday, Jan. 6.
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