(WXYZ) — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will receive the Presidential Citizens Medal on Friday, according to CNN.
The outlet reports that President Joe Biden will award the medal to 12 people, including law enforcement officers who were injured in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.
The Meda, which was established by President Richard Nixon in 1969, is awarded to "citizens of the United States of America who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens."
This is the first time Biden has handed out the medals during his presidential term.
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," Benson tweeted. "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."
