Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit Catholic priest who founded the Homeboy Industries gang intervention program in Los Angeles, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
Boyle is one of 19 recipients who will be honored Friday at the White House by President Joe Biden. Honorees include high-profile figures such as Vice President Al Gore, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Opal Lee, an educator and activist known for her efforts to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday .
This award, established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, is given to individuals who have “made outstanding contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other efforts significant public or private sectors.
In a statement, the White House described Boyle as the founder of the world’s largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program and credited him with transforming the lives of thousands of Angelenos. Boyle could not immediately be reached for comment.
Boyle became pastor of Dolores Missionary Church in 1986. The Boyle Heights parish was one of the poorest, serving residents of housing projects such as Aliso Village and Pico Gardens. At the time, the area was also home to the largest concentration of gang activity in a city where there were hundreds of gangs with thousands of members. As many as nine gangs were active near the parish, according to the mission’s website.
In 1988, Boyle created jobs for a future at the mission. The goal of the program was to help men and women move away from gangs through education, job training and employment. Jobs for a Future eventually evolved into Homeboy Industries and expanded its services to include tattoo removal, housing assistance, and addiction help, as well as training for jobs such as solar panel installation .
The nonprofit has also launched several businesses over the years, run by formerly incarcerated clients enrolled in its various programs. The businesses include Homeboy Bakery, which provides products for its Homeboy Farmers Markets, Homeboy Diner and Homegirl Cafe and Catering. She also runs an electronics recycling business.
The nonprofit said its approach to transforming the lives of former gang members has become a model for many other organizations in the United States and several countries, including Honduras, Australia and Zimbabwe .
Boyle, a member of the Jesuit order for 50 years and a priest for 38 years, has received other major awards such as the California Peace Prize and was inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, President Obama named Father Boyle a Champion of Change, a recognition by the Obama White House for “people who do extraordinary things to make a difference in their communities.”
The Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time and can be viewed here.
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