# What This Bill Does

This bill authorizes Congress to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom Riders as a group, honoring their courageous efforts to end racial segregation in interstate transportation during the 1960s. The Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who deliberately boarded buses traveling through the South with both Black and White passengers sitting together, directly challenging Jim Crow laws that required racial segregation. The bill recognizes their sacrifice and the violence they endured—including being beaten by mobs, firebombed, imprisoned in brutal conditions, and arrested—all while maintaining their commitment to nonviolent protest.

The practical side of this bill is straightforward: the Treasury Department will design and create a gold medal, which will then be presented to the Freedom Riders collectively as a formal recognition of their contribution to American civil rights. After the presentation, the medal will be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be displayed and available for research. The bill also allows the Treasury to make bronze copies of the medal available for purchase, with any profits going back to the U.S. Mint to help cover the costs of creating the original gold medal.

This bill doesn't change any laws or create new regulations—it's purely ceremonial and historical in nature. It doesn't affect anyone's daily life or rights. Instead, it's Congress's way of officially acknowledging an important chapter in American history and the bravery of individuals who risked their lives to challenge racial injustice. The medal serves as a permanent reminder of their legacy and will be preserved for future generations to learn from.

To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom Riders, collectively, in recognition of their unique contribution to Civil Rights, which inspired a revolutionary movement for equality in interstate travel.

Johnson, Henry C. "Hank"

 <p>This bill provides for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom Riders, in recognition of their contribution to civil rights by fighting for equality in interstate travel.</p>