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Minnesota’s full congressional delegation has laid down a resolution to posthumously bestow Prince with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award of the US Congress.
Named the Prince Congressional Gold Medal Act 2021, the legislation, headed by Senator Amy Klobuchar and US Representative Ilhan Omar, is co-signed by the entire membership of the Minnesota congressional delegation “in recognition of [Prince’s] achievements and contributions to the culture of the United States”.
The full delegation, in a rare occasion of cross-party unison, is comprised of Senator Tina Smith and House Representatives Jim Hagedorn, Angie Craig, Dean Phillips, Betty McCollum, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, and Pete Stauber.
He not only changed the arc of music history; he put Minneapolis on the map
Past Congressional Gold Medal recipients include historical figures such as George Washington, the Wright Brothers, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, plus entertainers Irving Berlin, John Wayne, the Gershwin brothers and Minneapolis resident and Peanuts comic strip creator Charles M Schulz – the final musician recipient being Frank Sinatra in 1997.
To be successful the Act must receive the backing by at least two-thirds of the membership of both the House of Representatives and Senate before being signed into law by the President. Since its inception in 1776, just 163 such medals have been awarded. The Prince Estate is thereby encouraging American fans to write to their representative to add their support. According to convention, posthumously awarded medals are kept on display at a Smithsonian institution.
Be it his Oscar or seven Grammys, our insufficiently awarded Prince picked up many deserved gongs far and wide. Learn about all the major awards Prince won.
