Reps. Espaillat, Wilson, Raskin Lead Push to Posthumously Honor Civil Rights Activist Bob Moses with Congressional Gold Medal

Statement

Today, Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) introduced legislation to award a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to Robert "Bob' Parris Moses to honor his contributions to the American civil rights movement and equal access to education. Since 1772, the Congressional Gold Medal has been the most distinguished recognition bestowed by Congress on individuals or institutions for their outstanding achievements and contributions to our nation.

"Bob Moses dedicated his career to improving the quality of life for Black Americans across the United States, and the impacts of his tireless work are still felt throughout our communities by the countless lives he enriched," said Rep. Espaillat. "While Bob shunned the limelight throughout most of his lifetime, his legacy represents the best of a generation of activists whose efforts helped to change the very fabric of American society in ways that are still contested and unfolding today -- and we owe him an immeasurable debt of gratitude. He must be remembered as a patriot who gave everything to do the back-breaking labor of an entire generation, and I am proud to lead the call for this much-deserved honor with my colleagues today."

"Throughout the entirety of his life, particularly during America's plight of racial and civil injustice, Bob Moses was a champion for the Black community," said Rep. Wilson. "As an activist and educator known for his quiet manner, Moses advocated loudly for the overall advancement and mathematical literacy of Black people. The impact of his efforts are felt far and wide, from his hometown of Harlem, New York to Hollywood, Florida, where he spent the final moments of his remarkable life. Today, I proudly join my colleagues in the privilege of introducing legislation awarding a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to Bob Moses."

"For Bob Moses, democracy was not a set of static institutions but a dynamic process of education and personal and communal growth," said Rep. Raskin. "Through his remarkably patient and courageous acts of mass voter registration, Bob changed the dynamics of power in Mississippi and in America. He showed us that the heart of strong democracy is organizing, and the key to great organizing is listening. Bob was the greatest listener in the history of American democratic change. He listened to the voices of the disenfranchised and out of that listening flowed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Freedom Summer and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, three organizing projects that brought to life and to the world stage the irreducible American ideal of one person-one vote, the "radical equation' that has challenged and transformed every form of political tyranny in American society."

"Bob's deep love for his family was mirrored in his love for his people. His life was a giant giving tree. We are forever grateful for his gifts," said the Moses family.

Bob Moses dedicated his life's work to advancing equal rights for Black Americans, drawing praise from prominent members of the Civil Rights Movement such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He began his career as an active member of the fight for voting rights, working to register poor, illiterate Black Mississippians to vote. He worked with the NAACP and served as driving force and a leader as part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, serving as Field Secretary, leading the charge for both groups as they made strides towards equality.

In 1982, Bob Moses founded The Algebra Project to support K-12 math literacy for children from historically marginalized communities. Since its origination, the organization has served over 40,000 students across America. As an educator and civil rights advocate, Bob Moses believed that the absence of math literacy in urban and rural communities across our nation today is an issue as urgent as the lack of registered Black voters in Mississippi was in 1961.

Rep. Espaillat honored Bob Moses during this year's Black History Month virtual program further highlighting the civil rights leader's significant impact to our nation.

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