[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2665]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             FREEDOM RIDERS

  (Mr. ROTHFUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, from time to time in our history, people 
have stepped forward to call this Nation to something greater. Today as 
we continue to celebrate Black History Month, I want to recognize three 
inspirational women from my district in Pennsylvania: Dorothy James, 
Ruby Golding, and Mary Wilson. In the 1960s they traveled down South to 
fight racial injustice and to join the struggle for equal rights.
  Ruby Golding recalls what inspired her to join the Freedom Riders. 
She remembers segregated movie theaters and not being allowed to try on 
shoes at the local store in town. She remembers the March on Washington 
and hearing Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King talk about a dream he had, 
a dream that one day his children would not be judged by the color of 
their skin but by the content of their character.
  Ms. Golding said everyone was shocked by the size of the crowd that 
day and how peaceful it was. She said it was like being in one big 
family of all colors joining together to bring a better day to America.
  Today let's recognize the legacy of Ms. James, Ms. Golding, and Ms. 
Wilson, and all those who joined the civil rights movement, for we have 
a freer nation because they had the courage to take a stand.

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