A longstanding Indigenous leader from Juneau was honored at the White House on Monday, along with other Americans who have impacted the nation’s culture for the better.
Sealaska Heritage Institute President Kaaháni Rosita Worl was one of 10 Americans to receive the 2023 National Humanities Medal from President Joe Biden Monday afternoon.
Other honorees included the late chef and author Anthony Bourdain and literacy advocate and actor LeVar Burton.
“Each of you has helped us venture out to see our world with clarity, empathy and courage. Thank you and congratulations,” First Lady Jill Biden said, opening the ceremony.
Worl – who is Lingít – wore a yellow Chilkat robe to the ceremony. She stood out in a sea of blue, black and gray suits.
Worl is 87 years old and has led SHI’s mission to bolster Southeast Alaska Native languages and arts for nearly 30 years.
She served as the chair of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act National Review Committee in the early 2000s and advised revisions to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in the 1980s.
She has advocated for Alaska Native issues at the statewide and national levels.
National Endowment for the Humanities Chair Shelly C. Lowe, a member of the Navajo Nation, introduced President Biden and pointed to the Indigenous representation in the room and in the Biden administration.
“It is now my distinct honor to introduce a man who ensured that when I came into my position, there were others who looked like me, other Native voices, other Native individuals who were leading us and who are making the administration do what we needed to do,” Lowe said.
Worl was one of four Indigenous awardees recognized for their achievements during the ceremony. The others included “Braiding Sweetgrass” author Robin Wall Kimmerer, poet Joy Harjo and educator Robert Martin.
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President Biden said during the ceremony that all of today’s recipients helped bring America into a better future.
“You have broken barriers. You blazed new trails, you redefined culture,” Biden said. “You’re the truth tellers, the bridge builders, the change seekers, and above all you’re the masters of your craft who have made us a better America for all you’ve done.”
Worl is one of 207 Americans that have received the medal. In a statement, she credited her mother, Bessie Quinto, for inspiring her life’s work.
“She devoted her whole life as a union organizer to secure economic equity for our people, among many other things,” Worl said in the release.