Alan Page describes Presidential Medal of Freedom experience to students

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - In a packed auditorium at Justice Page Middle School, retired State Supreme Court Justice Alan Page met with Page Junior Scholars in Minneapolis to answer questions about his Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“How did I feel when I received the Medal?” said Page. “Truth be told I was kind of numb.”

Page says it was hard to wrap his head around standing in the ranks of civil rights leaders Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall, who also received the Medal of Freedom. He says he accepted the award on behalf of those who came before him.

“My ancestors came to this country in the belly of a slave ship,” said Page. “And it struck me as very important to be a representative for them at the White House, which is the people’s house. It is your house, it is my house.”  

Page says he wants to use his new platform to keep sending students to college.

“I plan to keep working to change educational opportunity for all of the students here,” he said. “Every student no matter what your background, no matter what your race or religion or ethnicity, to increase the opportunities that have to do the things that I have done.”  

All of it, Page says, will help to create the leaders of tomorrow.