Former Vice President Mike Pence— who was targeted for death by some of the January 6th rioters who attacked the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 for resisting Donald Trump's pressure to interfere in the certification of the 2020 presidential election— will receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in Dorchester next month.

Caroline Kennedy and Jack Schlossberg will present the award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on May 4.

"Despite our political differences, it is hard to imagine an act of greater consequence than Vice President Pence’s decision to certify the 2020 presidential election during an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Upholding his oath to the Constitution and following his conscience, the Vice President put his life, career, and political future on the line," Kennedy and Schlossberg said in a statement released today by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, which presides over the annual award.

Past recipients have included former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, Gerald Ford, and George H. W. Bush; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy; U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; former U.S. Representatives Gabrielle Giffords and Liz Cheney; and former U.S. Senator John McCain.

In a statement, Pence said: “I am deeply humbled and honored to be the recipient of the Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. I have been inspired by the life and words of President John F. Kennedy since my youth and am honored to join the company of so many distinguished Americans who have received this recognition in the past.”