Media

A special screening of “Major Taylor: Champion of the Race” was held on Capitol Hill. The documentary retraces the life and legacy of an American civil rights pioneer who set more than 20 world records in speed cycling during the heart of Jim Crow America.

Before the time of Jessie Owens, Jack Johnson, Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali; Marshall “Major” was the first black, sports superstar. He was a cyclist, the fastest in the world. Taylor was a civil rights pioneer. He pedaled through racial barriers, and helped to advance the rights of African Americans in sports.

On the night of Freedom‘s Eve in 1863, free and enslaved African-Americans gathered in churches and homes across the nation, eagerly awaiting the news of the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation. At Midnight, all enslaved people in the Confederate States were declared legally free.

A father is a son’s first hero and a daughter’s first love. I want to wish my superhero and all superheroes a Happy Father’s Day. I thank my father for his love, tutelage, tenancy and perseverance. If he wasn’t holding my hand, his hand was on my back. Thank you for instilling in me the strength to continue the work.

It was my honor to host members of Chicago’s Salem Baptist Church and Chicago’s Progressive Baptist Church at our National Capitol.

June 10th 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law, the Equal Pay Act. This bans pay discrimination on the basis of sex, age, race or disability. (Among those pictured here, Dr. Dorothy Height.) We have made progress but women still earn less, (on average) than men. The playing field needs to be level, $1 for $1.