[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 204 (Tuesday, December 12, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6822-H6824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING MARSHALL WALTER ``MAJOR'' TAYLOR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Jackson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
legislation that would posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal 
to honor Marshall Walter ``Major'' Taylor and would finally recognize 
him as America's first international sports champion.
  Marshall Taylor was affectionately known as Major Taylor, and he 
remains in death as he was in life; namely, America's first sports 
superhero, a feat that took place in the late 1800s and makes what he 
accomplished all the more extraordinary and astounding.
  Consider, if you will, the fact that here is an African-American man 
born in 1878 amid the sound and fury of post-Civil War America.

[[Page H6823]]

  For those who missed the significance of this, it means that Major 
Taylor came into being at a time when the old resentments of the 
defeated Confederacy were beginning to push the Nation back into the 
clutches of a desperate and cynical racial antipathy.
  Major Taylor did not come of age at a moment in American history when 
it was easy to be African American. In fact, he dared to be great at a 
time when the color of his skin was a crime; that is to suggest a 
punishable offense for which millions of Black people were persecuted 
without justification or cause. Yet, in spite of the indignities 
assigned to him because of his race, in 1899, Mr. Taylor went on to 
become the fastest man in the world on a bike and an international 
world champion in the sport of cycling.

  Yet oddly, Mr. Speaker, very few people in this country know anything 
about him. Very few people know the biggest sport in the latter half of 
the 19th century was cycling and that an African American was the first 
great international champion in this country and in this sport.
  One wonders today: How is such a thing even possible that Mr. Taylor 
can be forgotten? Why has it taken so long to honor a man who never 
should have been forgotten in the first place? How can it be the case 
that most people know little or nothing about the extraordinary 
contributions of this man to the American experience, to say nothing of 
his quantifiable greatness with respect to American sports?
  Let me put a final point on this. Before there was a Jack Johnson, 
before there was a Jackie Robinson, before there was a Joe Louis, 
before there was a Jesse Owens, there was a Marshall Taylor, the son of 
an enslaved family, the son of a veteran of the American Civil War, our 
first international superstar, the first Black athlete to have a 
corporate sponsorship, the fastest man in the world at his time.
  He was a man so committed to his faith that he would not race on 
Sundays, so subsequently the governing body of the international 
cycling community changed racing day to Saturday in order to 
accommodate the discipline and dedication of his faith.
  Major Taylor was the first African-American world champion of any 
sport, and yet most people don't even know who he is because he has 
been conveniently erased. That is to say, he has been rendered 
invisible and, therefore, condemned to exist on the peripheries and in 
the margins of the historical memories of what he was and soon to be 
forgotten and was not of any note. He had no value in our history, 
tragically insignificant and unimportant, but nothing could be further 
from the truth.
  With the heel of an entire nation pressing down upon his neck, after 
280 years of enslavement in America, here arose Mr. Marshall ``Major'' 
Taylor. He had no one to look up to. He had to set a precedent. He had 
to exemplify greatness and carry that great burden of the race on his 
shoulders, and he did so magnificently.
  The recriminations of an entire culture withholding him from the 
support he deserved, when he won in America, they played ``Dixie.'' 
When he won abroad, internationally, they played ``The Star-Spangled 
Banner.'' Marshall ``Major'' Taylor said that made him so proud to be 
an American.
  Marshall Taylor strived in spite of it all. He didn't just win. He 
won in spite of the facts. He didn't just succeed. He succeeded against 
the odds. He didn't just achieve, but impressively, he achieved with 
one hand tied behind his back, and he would not be stopped.
  Frederick Douglass said that a man should not be judged by how high 
he climbs but rather he should be judged by the depths from which he 
has had to climb from.
  Marshall ``Major'' Taylor is a quintessential example of the American 
spirit and African American capacity for resistance and excellence in 
the midst of it all.
  I rise today in support of legislation that would posthumously award 
the Congressional Gold Medal to Marshall Walter ``Major'' Taylor.
  And would finally recognize him as the first American international 
champion.
  Marshall Taylor was affectionately known as Major Taylor, and he 
remains in death as he was in life, namely, America's first sports 
hero--a feat that took place in the late 1800s and makes what he 
accomplished all the more extraordinary and astounding.
  Consider, if you will, the fact that here is an African-American man 
born in 1878 amid the sound and fury of post-Civil War America.
  And for those who miss the significance of this, it means that Major 
Taylor came into being at a time when the old resentments of the 
defeated Confederacy were beginning to push the nation back into the 
clutches of a desperate and cynical racial antipathy.
  Major Taylor did not come of age at a moment in American history when 
it was easy to be black.
  In fact, he dared to be great at a time when the color of his skin 
was a crime.
  That is to suggest a punishable offense for which millions of black 
people were persecuted without justification or cause.
  And yet, in spite of the indignities assigned to him because of his 
race, in 1899, Mr. Taylor went on to become the fastest man on a bike 
and an international world champion in the sport of cycling.
  And yet, oddly, Mr. Speaker, very few people in this country know 
anything about him.
  Very few people know that the biggest sport in the latter half of the 
19th century was cycling, and that an African-American man was the 
first great international champion in that sport.
  One wonders today: how is such a thing even possible?
  Why has it taken so long to honor a man who should've never been 
forgotten in the first place.
  How can it be the case that most people know little to nothing about 
the extraordinary contribution of this man to the American experience--
to say nothing of his quantifiable greatness with respect to American 
sports?
  Let me put a finer point on it . . .
  Before there was Jack Johnson,
  Before there was Joe Louis,
  Before there was Jesse Owens,
  Before there was Jackie Robinson,
  There was Marshall Taylor.
  The Son of an enslaved family
  The son of a veteran of the civil war.
  The first international superstar.
  The first black athlete to have a corporate sponsorship . . .
  The fastest man in the world . . .
  A man so committed to his faith that he would not race on Sundays, so 
subsequently, the governing body of the international cycling community 
changed racing day to Saturday in order to accommodate the discipline 
and dedication of his faith.
  Major Taylor was the first African-American world champion of any 
sport.
  And yet most people don't even know who he is because he has been 
conveniently erased.
  That is to say, rendered invisible,
  And therefore, condemned to exist on the peripheries and in the 
margins of historical memory as if what he accomplished was not of any 
note.
  Not valuable.
  Tragically insignificant and unimportant.
  But nothing could be further from the truth.
  With the heel of an entire nation pressing down upon his neck--and 
with the recriminations of an entire culture withholding from him the 
support he deserved . . . Marshal Major Taylor did it anyway.
  He didn't just win; rather, he won in spite of the facts.
  He didn't just succeed; he succeeded against the odds.
  He didn't just achieve, but impressively, he achieved with one hand 
tied behind his back.
  And he would not be stopped.
  Frederick Douglass said that a man should not be judged by how high 
he climbs, but should rather be judged by the depths from which she has 
had to climb from.
  Marshall Major Taylor is the quintessential example of the American 
spirit, and the African-American capacity for resistance and excellence 
in the midst of it all.
  I rise today in support of this legislation because the awarding of 
this medal is an act long over due.
  To bestow this honor is the least a grateful nation can do for 
someone denied the recognition and respect he deserved.
  And so . . . . it is all together fitting that we memorialize the 
achievements and legacy of this extraordinary American.
  And each of us should take pride in knowing that the time has finally 
come for this nation to honor one of its most accomplished sons.
  A Trailblazer,
  A Pioneer,
  A man of dignity,
  An American,
  An African-American,
  A Champion.
  And perhaps most of all, a man of remarkable faith.
  The first great African-American world champion in any sport should 
not be relegated to the ash-heap of history--and today, with this 
legislation, we endeavor to put Major Taylor back where he belongs.
  In the winner circle.
  And alongside the best of what this nation has to offer. I yield back 
the remainder of my time.

[[Page H6824]]

  

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