Recognizing Marshall Walter ``major'' Taylor

Floor Speech

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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.

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.

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