Burton Awarded National Humanities Medal
Actor and literacy advocate LeVar Burton was one of 19 recipients of the National Humanities Medals. The 2022 and 2023 medals were presented by President Biden on Monday, October 21, 2024, in a private ceremony at the White House.
The recipients include writers, historians, educators, and filmmakers. Presentation of the medals was followed by a reception “with remarks by President Biden, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, and National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo).”
Lowe said, “The National Humanities Medal recipients have enriched our world through writing that moves and inspires us; scholarship that enlarges our understanding of the past; and through their dedication to educating, informing, and giving voice to communities and histories often overlooked.”
The Medals honor “an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizens’ engagement with history or literature, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to cultural resources.” They are given by the National Endowment for the Humanities in conjunction with the National Medals of Arts.
Burton is best known for his role as Kunta Kinte in the TV series Roots (1977) and his portrayal of Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), and as host of children’s program Reading Rainbow (1983-2006), instilling a love of literature into generations of young readers. From 2071 to 2024 he hosted popular podcast LeVar Burton Reads, featuring stories by writers including Ray Bradbury, Octavia E. Butler, Stephen King, and Nnedi Okorafor, among many others.
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