,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #djda ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #aa1 #bjad ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,collins of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,conyers1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,nadler1 ,mr4 ,clay1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 ,ms4 ,hahn1 ,mr4 ,rangel1 ,mrs4 ,beatty1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,pitts1 ,mr4 ,hinojosa1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mr4 ,butterfield1 ,mr4 ,carson of ,indiana1 ,mr4 ,tonko1 ,mr4 ,dingell1 ,ms4 ,sewell of ,alabama1 ,mr4 ,cummings1 ,ms4 ,brown of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mrs4 ,christensen1 ,ms4 ,moore1 ,mr4 ,hastings of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,edwards1 ,ms4 ,waters1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,blumenauer1 ,mr4 ,danny ,k4 ,davis of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,bishop of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mr4 ,payne1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 ,mr4 ,fattah1 ,mr4 ,richmond1 ,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois1 ,ms4 ,bass1 ,mr4 ,gutirrez1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,veasey1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,clyburn1 ,ms4 ,eshoo1 ,ms4 ,kaptur1 ,ms4 ,fudge1 ,ms4 ,eddie ,bernice ,johnson of ,texas1 and ,mr4 ,jeffries7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,house ,administration1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to award a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to the ,freedom ,riders1 collectively1 in recognition of their unique contribution to ,civil ,rights1 which inspired a revolutionary movement for equality in interstate travel4 #a4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,in #aifj1 the ,supreme ,court ruled in ,boynton v4 ,virginia that segregated bus and rail stations were unconstitutional4 7#b7 ,the rigid system of racial segregation that prevailed in the ,united ,states during the #aifjs did not permit a ,black person to sit next to a ,white person on any bus traveling through interstate commerce and in most locations in the ,south4 ,bus stations had ,whites ,only waiting areas and ,blacks were not permitted to wait in those areas despite the ,supreme ,court making it the law of the land4 7#c7 ,the ,freedom ,riders1 with the intent to end segregation in public transportation throughout the ,south1 paved the way for full racial integration of the ,united ,states transit system4 ,they overcame prejudice1 discrimination1 and violence4 ,they sparked a movement that changed our ,nation4 7#d7 ,the ,congress of ,racial ,equality 7,c4,o4,r4,e47 selected thirteen volunteers for nonviolent response training to join in the ,freedom ,rides from ,washington1 ,,dc1 to ,new ,orleans1 ,,la4 ,the ,freedom ,riders used their strategies of nonviolence throughout the ,south to challenge the region's ,jim ,crow laws directly and enforce the ,supreme ,court decision in ,boynton4 7#e7 ,on the morning of ,may #d1 #aifa1 the ,freedom ,riders1 comprised of seven ,blacks and six ,whites1 boarded two buses1 with ,blacks and ,whites seated together4 ,those thirteen ,freedom ,riders were3 ,genevieve ,hughes ,houghton1 ,charles ,person1 ,hank ,thomas1 ,john ,lewis1 ,edward ,blankenheim1 ,james ,farmer1 ,walter ,bergman1 ,frances ,bergman1 ,joseph ,perkins1 ,jimmy ,mc,donald1 ,mae ,francis ,moultrie1 ,benjamin ,elton ,cox1 and ,albert ,bigelow4 ,most segregated ,states considered even this level of integration a crime4 ,at various stops along the way1 the ,freedom ,riders would enter areas designated ,whites and ,colored and would eat together at segregated lunch counters to defy local laws4 7#f7 ,initially1 the ,freedom ,riders had encountered only minor clashes until a stop in ,south ,carolina4 ,in ,rock ,hill1 an angry mob severely beat ,john ,lewis1 now a ,congressman from the #eth ,district of ,georgia1 when he entered the bus station4 ,henry ,hank ,thomas was jailed when he entered the bus station in ,winnsboro4 ,authorities delivered him to a waiting mob long after the station had closed that evening4 ,a local ,black minister rescued ,thomas1 enabling him to rejoin the group in ,columbia4 ,however1 ,lewis was so badly beaten he could not continue the ,freedom ,rides4 7#g7 ,dr4 ,martin ,luther ,king1 ,jr41 and other civil rights leaders met with the group in ,atlanta to dissuade their continuance through the ,deep ,south due to death threats4 ,despite these warnings1 more ,freedom ,riders joined in ,atlanta4 ,dedicated to their mission to end segregation in the ,south and trained in nonviolent movements1 the ,freedom ,riders continued on their journey4 7#h7 ,on ,mother's ,day1 ,may #ad1 #aifa1 the ,freedom ,riders were on two different buses4 ,an angry mob in ,anniston1 ,alabama1 firebombed the first bus4 ,when the ,freedom ,riders rushed out1 still choking from the thick smoke of the burning bus1 the waiting angry mob beat them with lead pipes and baseball bats as the bus exploded4 ,ambulances refused to transport the ,black ,freedom ,riders to the hospital4 ,the mob beat the ,freedom ,riders on the second bus and forced them to sit in the back4 ,as they journeyed to ,birmingham1 another mob savagely beat the ,freedom ,riders4 7#i7 ,the ,nashville 7,,tn7 ,student ,group1 a local group of students who had been successful in desegregating the lunch counters and movie theaters in ,nashville 7,,tn71 vowed not to let these acts of violence curtail the goal of the ,freedom ,rides4 ,they sent their members to continue the ,freedom ,rides and called out to other student groups to do the same4 7#aj7 ,as the violence grew1 the ,attorney ,general of the ,united ,states called in the ,national ,guard and the ,u4,s4 ,marshals to protect the ,freedom ,riders as they journeyed through ,alabama4 ,this protection was short-lived4 ,the ,federal authorities turned the ,freedom ,riders over to the local authorities in ,mississippi who then arrested the ,freedom ,riders for disturbing the peace4 7#aa7 ,the government of ,mississippi imprisoned many of the ,freedom ,riders in ,parchman ,prison known for its horrific conditions1 such as subjecting the ,freedom ,riders to strip searches1 work on chain gangs1 and light shining in their cells #bd hours a day4 ,despite these conditions1 the ,freedom ,riders refused bail because they were determined to spread the message of their nonviolent movement4 7#ab7 ,five months after the first ,freedom ,rides left on their historic ride1 the ,interstate ,commerce ,commission in conjunction with the ,u4,s4 ,attorney ,general ,robert ,kennedy issued a ,federal order banning segregation at all interstate public facilities based upon race1 color or creed4 ,the law became effective on ,november #a1 #aifa4 7#ac7 ,in #bjaa1 the ,president of the ,united ,states paid tribute to the ,freedom ,riders with a ,presidential ,proclamation honoring the #ejth ,anniversary of the first ,freedom ,ride by brave ,americans whose selfless act of courage helped pave the way for others to continue on the road to ,civil ,rights in ,america4 #b4 ,congressional ,gold ,medal 7a7 ,presentation authorization ,the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation1 on behalf of the ,congress1 of a gold medal of appropriate design to the ,freedom ,riders1 collectively1 in recognition of their unique contribution to ,civil ,rights1 which inspired a revolutionary movement to equality in interstate travel4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for the purposes of the award referred to in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7hereafter in this ,act referred to as the ,secretary7 shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,smithsonian ,institution 7#a7 ,in general ,following the award of the gold medal under subsection 7a71 the gold medal shall be given to the ,smithsonian ,institution1 where it will be available for display as appropriate and available for research4 7#b7 ,sense of the ,congress ,it is the sense of the ,congress that the ,smithsonian ,institution should make the gold medal awarded pursuant to this ,act available for display elsewhere1 particularly at appropriate locations associated with the ,freedom ,riders4 #c4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section #b under such regulations as the ,secretary may prescribe1 at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof1 including labor1 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and overhead expenses1 and the cost of the gold medal4 #d4 ,national medals ,medals struck pursuant to this ,act are national medals for the purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4