George Soros, the philanthropist who aids Romani people, among others, receives the highest civilian honor in the United States from President Biden
The Associated Press (AP) reports that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the lead singer of the rock band U2 (Bono), and billionaire George Soros were among 19 figures given the Medal of Freedom by US President Joe Biden in a ceremony at the White House on 4 January. “For the last time as President, I have the honor of awarding the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, to a group of truly exceptional individuals who have dedicated their sacred efforts to shaping the culture and thought of America,” the President said in his opening remarks.
“Allow me say to each of you: Thank you for all you have done for this country,” added Biden, who gave the medal to figures from the fields of entertainment, human rights, politics, science and sports. The White House had previously announced that the honorees are people “who have made exceptional contributions to their country and the world.”
The award for George Soros was accepted by his son, Alexander, who is continuing his philanthropic activities. “I am very grateful that my father has been recognized for his lifelong work dedicated to freedom and human rights. It was an honor for me to be with such an amazing group of honorees. It was especially moving to stand side-by-side with Bono and Hillary Clinton, two people whom my father greatly respects,” Alexander Soros said.
George Soros: A philanthropist and visionary with Hungarian roots who aids Roma
George Soros is an American financier and philanthropist of Hungarian origin. He has long supported groups advocating for democratic, liberal values and open borders in Eastern Europe.
Soros also supports improving the position of Romani people in society in many countries. He was born in Budapest to a Jewish family as György Schwartz.
At the age of 16 he left his native country for Britain. In the beginning he made a living as a manual laborer, then studied philosophy at the prestigious London School of Economics.
In the mid-1950s he relocated to the USA as George Soros and started making a living as an analyst. Within 10 years he had become a recognized stockbroker on Wall Street and took over the management of the Quantum Fund in 1969.
Through that fund, Soros successfully increased investors’ money for decades, making billions himself as a result. As an investor he looked for market imbalances and weaknesses and managed to exploit them.
His performed his “masterstroke” in September 1992, when he made a billion dollars in one month speculating on the decline of the British pound. Soros had already started to shift his attention to philanthropic activities in the 1980s.
He withdrew from the leadership of the fund and focused on his work as a philosopher-visionary, both in the field of investment (where he started to orient himself more toward currency speculation) and in the charity field. In 1993 he established the Open Society Foundations (OSF).
The main goal of the OSF is to support civic initiatives worldwide focused on advocating for education, independent media, justice and public health. The name of the organization was inspired by Karl Popper‘s 1945 book The Open Society and Its Enemies.
Soros has also worked for a long time on improving the position of Romani people. For instance, he co-founded the Roma Education Fund (REF), which has long supported Romani university students in various European countries.
He was also behind the creation of The Roma Foundation for Europe. “Over the last 30 years, my father, George Soros, and our foundation have continued the legacy of the first World Romani Congress through our support for Romani people and institutions. That includes support for education and establishing the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture – ERIAC. Our support for organizations and for defenders of the rights of Roma to stand up to today’s challenges and be prepared for the challenges of tomorrow is what I perceive as the most important,” Alexander Soros wrote in 2022.
“We at the Open Society Foundations will always show our solidarity with and support for the Romani people’s ongoing struggle,” Alexander Soros concluded those 2022 remarks. In 2011, as part of his aid to Romani people, his father visited the Czech Republic to see what the instruction of Roma looks like.
George Soros visited what was called the Havlíčkovo náměstí Primary School at the time (today called the Cimburkova Primary School), which was the first in Prague to introduce preparatory classes for children from socially disadvantaged environments and to provide Romani assistants. “I could have been killed by the Nazis. I could have wasted my life under the communists. That is what led me to the idea of the open society,” he explained when asked why he had decided to focus his philanthropy in the direction in which he had been guided by the educator and philosopher Karl Popper during his student days.
Other honorees: Hillary Clinton, Bono and Lionel Messi
Clinton, who was US Secretary of State in the administration of President Barack Obama from 2009-2013, accepted the Medal of Freedom less than three weeks before her former political rival Donald Trump will take the oath of office on 20 January. Clinton lost the 2016 election to Trump.
Bono, born Paul David Hewson, has already previously been awarded France’s highest cultural award and an honorary knighthood. The singer is famous for his campaigns to combat poverty and support persons with AIDS.
Medals of Freedom were also accepted by Anna Wintour, the Editor-in-Chief of the American edition of the fashion magazine Vogue, by the British biologist and nature conservationist Jane Goodall, and by the soccer player Lionel Messi. Biden also bestowed these honors on the chef and humanitarian worker José Andrés, whose charity organization World Central Kitchen aids with the provision of groceries to civilians in war zones and areas afflicted by natural disasters.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom was introduced in the 1960s by US President John F. Kennedy. Its aim is to honor those who have made an “especially honorable contribution” to American national security, world peace, or to “cultural or other distinguished public or private endeavors”.
