What is a Congressional Gold Medal?

Question

Why are the Tuskegee Airmen just now recieving this?

Answer 1

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award which may be bestowed by the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the United States government. The decoration is awarded to any individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States. The recipient need not be an American citizen.
The Tuskegee Airmen was a group of African American pilots who flew with distinction during World War II. They were overlooked for the medals because of their race.

Answer 2

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award which may be bestowed by the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the United States government. The decoration is awarded to any individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States. The recipient need not be an American citizen.

The Congressional Gold Medal is considered the Congressional equivalent to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Both decorations are generally considered to hold the same degree of prestige (though significantly fewer Gold Medals have been awarded), with the difference being that the Freedom Medal is personally awarded by the President of the United States and the Congressional Gold Medal is awarded in the name of the Congress.

Per committee rules, legislation bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal to a recipient must be co-sponsored by two thirds of the membership of both the House of Representatives and the Senate before their respective committees will consider it.

The Congressional Gold Medal is created by the United States Mint to specifically commemorate the person and achievement for which the medal is awarded. Each medal is therefore different in appearance and there is no standard design for the Congressional Gold Medal. The Congressional Gold Medal is also considered "non-portable", meaning that the medal is not meant to be worn on a uniform or other clothing, but rather displayed much like a trophy.

The Congressional Gold Medal is a completely separate decoration from the Medal of Honor which is a military award for extreme bravery in action. Another similarly named decoration is the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, presented by NASA for extreme accomplishment to the mission of United States space exploration.

Answer 3

The Congressional Gold Medal is a medal bestowed by Congress on civilians. See the reference.

Why they're receiving it now is probably tied to the fact that there are a number of states considering apologizing for slavery and the Jim Crow era.

The question you should be asking is why aren't they getting the Congressional Medal of Honor or another MILITARY medal since they were military personnel. I suppose Congress feels their achievement isn't a military one. Regardless, it's about time someone honored them.