From the White House announcement:

The 21 men and women who stood awaiting the nation's highest civilian honor Tuesday in the White House East Room represented Barack Obama'sparticular vision of the United States: one where pioneering scientists, groundbreaking performers, crusading activists and unconventional artistschart America's destiny.

President Obama has not stinted on handing out the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his time in office: He has bestowed it on at least 114individuals, more than any of his predecessors. Nearly half of the latest honorees were artists, actors or musicians, including singer BruceSpringsteen, actor Robert Redford and "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels.

But there were also computer engineers and famous architects, as well as what the president called "rabble rousers" and philanthropists.

Throughout his tenure, Obama has used the honor to recognize pioneers in many fields, particularly when they have broken racial or genderbarriers. Rear Adm. Grace Hopper, who invented the first compiler for a computer programming language and was known as "the first lady of software,"was granted the award posthumously. Also recognized was Margaret H. Hamilton, who led the team that created the onboard flight software for NASA'sApollo command and lunar modules.

Obama poked fun at some of the more famous medal recipients, noting that they included "renowned character actors like the guy from 'Space Jam,' "a reference to a 1996 live-action and animated comedy featuring basketball great Michael Jordan.

Obama has come to use these ceremonies both to make a political point and to trot out comedic riffs in front of a friendly audience. There werealso unintentional funny moments, notably when the president reached up to put the medal around basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's neck, andwhen singer Diana Ross had to adjust her enormous hair to receive it.

To read the complete article, see:
Obama awards Medal of Freedom to a star-studded list of 21 recipients(www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-awards-medal-of-freedom-to-a-star-studded-list-of-21-recipients/2016/11/22/e6991c24-b0e2-11e6-be1c-8cec35b1ad25_story.html)

To read the complete article, see:
President Obama NamesRecipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom(www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/11/16/president-obama-names-recipients-presidential-medal-freedom)

To watch the entire ceremony video fron CNN, see:
Entire Medal of Freedom ceremony(www.cnn.com/videos/us/2016/11/22/entire-medal-of-freedom-ceremony-white-house.cnn)