,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ebhb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #cj1 #bjad ,mr4 ,harper 7for himself and ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services ,a ,,bill ,to award posthumously a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to ,medgar ,wiley ,evers1 in recognition of his contributions and ultimate sacrifice in the fight for racial equality in the ,united ,states4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,medgar ,wiley ,evers ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,an integral part of the fight for racial equality1 ,medgar ,wiley ,evers1 was born ,july #b1 #aibe1 in ,decatur1 ,mississippi1 to ,james and ,jessie ,evers4 7#b7 ,faithfully serving his country1 ,medgar ,evers willingly left high school to join the ,army at the start of ,world ,war ,,ii4 7#c7 ,after the conclusion of the war1 ,mr4 ,evers returned home to ,mississippi1 completed high school1 enrolled in ,alcorn ,agricultural and ,mechanical ,college 7presently known as ,alcorn ,state ,university7 and earned a ,bachelor of ,arts degree in ,business ,administration4 7#d7 ,while at ,alcorn ,state ,university1 ,medgar ,evers met and married fellow ,alcorn student1 ,myrlie ,beasley1 of ,vicksburg1 ,mississippi4 7#e7 ,upon graduation1 ,myrlie and ,medgar ,evers moved to ,mound ,bayou1 ,mississippi1 where ,medgar held a job with ,magnolia ,mutual ,life ,insurance ,company1 and began establishing local chapters of the ,national ,association for the ,advancement of ,colored ,people 7,,naacp7 throughout the ,mississippi ,delta4 7#f7 ,having been so moved by the immense suffering of ,african-,americans in ,mississippi1 ,medgar ,evers felt compelled to fight to change the circumstances and challenges facing them and1 in #aied1 ,medgar ,evers became the first known ,african-,american to apply to the ,university of ,mississippi ,school of ,law4 ,mr4 ,evers was denied enrollment4 7#g7 ,in #aied1 ,medgar ,evers became the first ,field ,secretary for the ,mississippi chapter of the ,,naacp4 7#h7 ,in the capacities of his new position ,medgar ,evers hosted numerous voter registration efforts in ,mississippi and1 as a result of these activities1 received numerous threats against his life4 7#i7 ,despite these threats1 ,mr4 ,evers carried on his work with dedication and courage1 organizing rallies1 building membership within the ,,naacp1 and traveling around the country educating the public on the fight for ,civil ,rights4 7#aj7 ,medgar and ,myrlie ,evers' passion for quality education for all children led them to file suit against the ,jackson1 ,mississippi1 public school system gaining him attention with the national media as a leader of the ,civil ,rights ,movement in ,mississippi4 7#aa7 ,as a result of his continued and ongoing efforts--rallies1 sit-ins1 and protests--to stand up for the rights of ,african-,americans in ,mississippi1 ,mr4 ,evers was arrested1 beaten1 and jailed with his due process rights denied4 7#ab7 ,the senseless and abhorrent violence against ,mr4 ,evers reached its pinnacle on ,june #ab1 #aifc1 when he was violently shot in front of his home and died shortly afterwards in a local hospital1 mere hours after ,president ,john ,f4 ,kennedy had made a national televised speech from the ,oval ,office calling for full racial integration in ,america4 ,the ,civil ,rights ,act was enacted the following year4 7#ac7 ,as a veteran1 ,evers was buried with full military honors at ,arlington ,national ,cemetery4 7#ad7 ,on ,june #bc1 #aifc1 ,byron ,de ,la ,beckwith1 a member of the ,white ,citizens' ,council1 was arrested for ,evers' murder1 but juries in #aifd1 composed solely of white men1 twice deadlocked on ,de ,la ,beckwith's guilt1 resulting in mistrials4 7#ae7 ,following two trials resulting in acquittal1 in #aiij1 ,mrs4 ,evers convinced ,mississippi prosecutors to reopen ,medgar ,evers' murder case1 and a new trial led to the conviction and life imprisonment of ,medgar ,evers' killer in #aiid4 7#af7 ,it is befitting that ,congress bestow the highest civilian honor1 the ,congressional ,gold ,medal1 to ,medgar ,wiley ,evers1 posthumously in honor of his work on behalf of racial equality which tragically led to his assassination1 but also was a major catalyst in passage and enactment of the ,civil ,rights ,act in #aifd4 #c4 ,congressional gold medal 7a7 ,presentation ,authorized ,the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,president pro tempore of the ,senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation1 on behalf of the ,congress1 of a gold medal of appropriate design in commemoration of ,medgar ,wiley ,evers1 in recognition of his contributions and ultimate sacrifice in the fight for racial equality in the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,design and striking ,for purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the ,treasury 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems1 devices1 and inscriptions1 to be determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,award of ,medal ,following the award of the gold medal in commemoration of ,medgar ,wiley ,evers under subsection 7a71 the medal shall be given to the ,mississippi ,civil ,rights ,museum1 where it shall be available for display or temporary loan to be displayed elsewhere1 as appropriate4 #d4 ,duplicate medals ,the ,secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section #c 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 #e4 ,status of medals 7a7 ,national medals ,the medals struck pursuant to this ,act are national medals for purposes of chapter #ea of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4 7b7 ,numismatic items ,for purposes of section #eacd of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 all medals struck under this ,act shall be considered to be numismatic items4