,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hgcj ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #e1 #bjbj,mr4 ,khanna 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,clyburn1 ,ms4 ,bass1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1 and ,mr4 ,riggleman7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services ,a ,,bill ,to award a ,congressional ,gold ,medal to ,reverend ,james ,morris ,lawson1 ,jr41 in recognition of his contributions to the ,united ,states through the promotion of nonviolence during the ,civil ,rights movement and beyond4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,reverend ,james ,lawson1 ,jr4 ,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,reverend ,james ,morris ,lawson1 ,jr4 7,rev4 ,lawson7 was born in ,uniontown1 ,pennsylvania1 on ,september #bb1 #aibh1 to ,reverend ,james ,morris ,lawson1 ,sr4 and ,philane ,may ,cover4 7#b7 ,rev4 ,lawson received his local preacher's license in #aidg1 the same year he graduated from high school4 7#c7 ,while attending ,baldwin-,wallace ,college1 ,rev4 ,lawson joined the ,fellowship of ,reconciliation1 the oldest pacifist organization in the ,united ,states and an advocate of nonviolent resistance to racism1 as well as the ,congress of ,racial ,equality1 where he was exposed to the nonviolent teachings of world-renowned civil rights and spiritual leader ,mohandas ,k4 ,gandhi 7,gandhi74 7#d7 ,from #aiec to #aief1 ,rev4 ,lawson served as a ,methodist missionary at ,hislop ,college in ,nagpur1 ,india1 where he continued his studies of satyagraha1 ,gandhi's philosophy of nonviolent resistance1 and met with associates and fellow students of ,gandhi4 7#e7 ,rev4 ,lawson was instrumental in bringing the message of ,gandhi to the ,united ,states4 7#f7 ,rev4 ,lawson viewed segregation in the ,united ,states as much like the untouchables of ,india and was inspired by the view of ,gandhi that it could be through ,african ,americans that the unadulterated message of nonviolence will be delivered to the world44 7#g7 ,in #aief1 ,rev4 ,lawson enrolled in the ,oberlin ,school of ,theology in ,ohio1 where he first met ,rev4 ,dr4 ,martin ,luther ,king1 ,jr4 7,dr4 ,king71 who urged ,rev4 ,lawson to move to the ,south to spread his teachings on nonviolence1 saying ,don't wait6 ,come now6 ,you're badly needed4 ,we don't have anyone like you64 7#h7 ,in #aieg1 ,rev4 ,lawson answered the call of ,dr4 ,king1 moving to ,nashville1 ,tennessee1 and enrolling at ,vanderbilt ,divinity ,school as the second ,african-,american student in its history4 7#i7 ,rev4 ,lawson opened a ,fellowship of ,reconciliation field office1 became the southern secretary for the organization1 and held seminars to train volunteers in ,gandhian tactics of nonviolent direct action4 7#aj7 ,rev4 ,lawson was an advisor for the ,little ,rock ,nine1 teaching the students1 in the living room of ,arkansas ,,naacp ,chair ,daisy ,bates1 how to resist their opponents using the superior weapons offered by nonviolence4 7#aa7 ,rev4 ,lawson led the ,nashville sit-in campaign of #aifj that successfully challenged ,jim ,crow and trained a new generation of civil rights activists4 7#ab7 ,in #aifj1 the ,southern ,christian ,leadership ,conference1 led by ,ella ,baker1 organized the ,student ,nonviolent ,coordinating ,committee1 with ,rev4 ,lawson writing the statement of purpose for the organization and delivering the keynote speech at the organization's founding meeting in ,april of that year4 7#ac7 ,rev4 ,lawson1 and the activists he trained1 organized many famous campaigns1 including the ,freedom ,rides1 ,freedom ,schools1 #aifc ,march on ,washington1 ,mississippi ,freedom ,summer1 ,mississippi ,freedom ,democratic ,party1 #aifc ,birmingham ,children's ,crusade1 #aife ,selma ,voting ,rights ,movement1 and #aiff ,chicago ,open ,housing ,movement4 7#ad7 ,in #aifh1 ,rev4 ,lawson chaired the strike committee for the ,memphis ,sanitation ,workers1 a campaign that advanced the slogan 8,i ,am ,a ,man0 and was the first successful effort to organize ,african-,american municipal workers in the ,south4 7#ae7 ,dr4 ,king lauded ,rev4 ,lawson as the leading theorist and strategist of nonviolence in the world and civil rights leader ,diane ,nash stated that ,rev4 ,lawson's impact was fundamental and tremendous4 ,i think that he1 more than anyone else really1 is why the civil rights movement was nonviolent4 7#af7 ,in #aigd1 ,rev4 ,lawson became pastor of ,holman ,united ,methodist ,church in ,los ,angeles1 where he continued his nonviolent advocacy for racial equality and social justice1 including through ,clergy and ,laity ,united for ,economic ,justice1 the ,southern ,christian ,leadership ,conference1 the ,american ,civil ,liberties ,union1 ,interfaith ,communities ,united for ,peace and ,justice1 the ,national ,committee for ,worker ,justice1 and many others4 7#ag7 ,rev4 ,lawson received dozens of awards1 honorary degrees1 and lectureships1 including the ,national ,civil ,rights ,museum ,freedom ,award1 ,vanderbilt ,university's ,walter ,r4 ,murray ,distinguished ,alumnus ,award1 ,harvard ,university's ,henry ,luce ,lectureship1 and recognition for his leadership and lifetime achievements from the ,congressional ,black ,caucus ,foundation and the ,american ,civil ,liberties ,union4 7#ah7 ,rev4 ,lawson has played an invaluable role in the progress of the ,united ,states due to his tireless work to create what ,dr4 ,king called a beloved community where people treat each other with respect and dignity and end all forms of violence in favor of a politics of love4 #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 presentation1 on behalf of ,congress1 of a gold medal of appropriate design to ,reverend ,james ,morris ,lawson1 ,jr41 in recognition of his contributions to 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 #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 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 sections #eacd and #eacf of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 all medals struck under this ,act shall be considered to be numismatic items4