# What This Bill Does

This bill honors the Freedom Riders—a group of civil rights activists who risked their lives in 1961 to challenge racial segregation in interstate bus travel—by awarding them a Congressional Gold Medal. The Freedom Riders were Black and white activists who traveled together on buses through the South, deliberately sitting next to each other and using segregated facilities to defy Jim Crow laws that required racial separation. Even though the Supreme Court had ruled segregation in interstate travel unconstitutional in 1960, Southern states ignored this ruling. The Freedom Riders faced brutal violence, including a firebombing in Alabama and severe beatings, yet they continued their mission. Many were arrested and imprisoned in horrific conditions at Parchman Prison in Mississippi, but they refused bail to keep spreading their message of nonviolent resistance.

The bill creates a single gold medal that will be presented on behalf of Congress to collectively recognize all the Freedom Riders for their contribution to civil rights. The medal will be designed by the Treasury Department and then given to the Smithsonian Institution, where it will be displayed and available for research. The bill also allows the Treasury Department to make bronze copies of the medal available for public purchase, with the proceeds covering production costs.

This bill doesn't directly affect most people's daily lives—it's primarily a symbolic gesture of national recognition and gratitude. However, it matters because it officially acknowledges an important chapter in American history and honors people who fought for equality and justice. The medal serves as a permanent reminder in the Smithsonian of the sacrifices made to end segregation, ensuring future generations understand the real human cost of achieving civil rights.

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>