[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 87 (Friday, May 7, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 24477-24478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09852]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 87 / Friday, May 7, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 24477]]


                Proclamation 10201 of May 4, 2021

                
60th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On May 4, 1961, thirteen Americans set out on Greyhound 
                and Trailways buses from Washington, DC, to peacefully 
                protest the scourge of segregation. They came from 9 
                different States and the District of Columbia; they 
                were Black and white, men and women, ranging in age 
                from 18 to 61, sitting side by side in a simple 
                affirmation of shared humanity. They were teachers and 
                students, carpenters and architects, ministers and 
                servicemembers. Frances and Walter Bergman, Albert 
                Bigelow, Ed Blankenheim, Reverend Benjamin Elton Cox, 
                James Farmer, Genevieve Hughes, Jimmy McDonald, James 
                Peck, Joe Perkins, Charles Person, Hank Thomas, and a 
                21-year-old student at the American Baptist Theological 
                Seminary named John Lewis.

                By the time of the first Freedom Rides, Thurgood 
                Marshall and other heroes of the early Civil Rights 
                Movement had already persuaded the Supreme Court to 
                strike down the devastating doctrine of 'separate but 
                equal,' which had given legal cover to the horrors of 
                Jim Crow for more than half a century. But for far too 
                many Americans, that promise of equality was slow to 
                arrive. As their buses arrived in each segregated town, 
                the Riders were brutally attacked by vicious, hateful 
                mobs of white supremacists. They were kicked and beaten 
                unconscious, assaulted with bats and batons, and 
                arrested under laws that had already been declared 
                illegal by the Supreme Court--but which festered 
                nevertheless. One of the two buses had its tires 
                slashed and windows smashed before it was firebombed.

                The Freedom Riders remained devoted to nonviolence, 
                displaying extraordinary physical courage and 
                unflinching moral conviction. Despite the brutality 
                they faced, they were joined by five other Riders along 
                the route, and then by hundreds more joining similar 
                rides in the months to come. The public attention they 
                brought to a pernicious cancer in our society further 
                inspired millions of Americans across the country, 
                including generations of Americans who have continued 
                the fight for civil rights in the years since. Their 
                message of bravery, hope, and unity in diversity 
                continues to inspire us.

                John Lewis was the first to withstand a physical 
                attack, just 6 days into the trip. It was not his first 
                act of courageous leadership and sacrifice, nor his 
                last. Across his lifetime of service in and out of 
                Government, John Lewis was the moral compass of our 
                Nation--though he absorbed the force of human nature's 
                cruelty, he emanated dignity and grace. On the 
                anniversary of his journey on the Freedom Rides, I am 
                reminded of the message he shared with me before he 
                passed away last summer: that we must stay focused on 
                the work left undone to heal this Nation. It is a call 
                to all Americans to follow the example he set.

                My Administration is committed to advancing the values 
                and aspirations of John Lewis and the Freedom Riders. 
                On my first day in office, I signed an Executive Order 
                establishing a comprehensive initiative to address 
                racial equity and redress systemic racism in Federal 
                policies, laws, and programs. I also signed a 
                Memorandum stating that the Federal Government has a 
                responsibility to prevent racism, xenophobia, and 
                intolerance against anyone in the United States--as 
                well as an additional Executive Order on Preventing

[[Page 24478]]

                and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender 
                Identity or Sexual Orientation. I have directed Federal 
                agencies to preserve and strengthen the sacred right to 
                vote using their existing legal authority. My 
                Administration also supports further legislation to 
                protect that most fundamental right--to make our 
                democracy more equitable and accessible for all 
                Americans, and to enact a new Voting Rights Act in John 
                Lewis's name.

                Today, we honor the Freedom Riders who took a stand 
                against injustice 60 years ago. And we are inspired by 
                the power and purpose of a dedicated few who helped 
                spark a movement--to make us a better Nation, and to 
                build a more perfect union for all of us.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 4, 2021, 
                as the 60th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides. I call 
                upon all Americans to participate in ceremonies and 
                activities that honor the Freedom Riders, those who 
                struggled for equal rights during the Civil Rights 
                Movement, and those working still to advance civil 
                rights across the Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                fourth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                twenty-one, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-09852
Filed 5-6-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P