Worcester bicycle racer Marshall 'Major' Taylor in line for Congressional Gold Medal
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Federal lawmakers are pushing for the posthumous awarding of a Congressional Gold Medal to Marshall W. "Major" Taylor, the Worcester champion bicycle racer.
Taylor, who died in 1932, is viewed by many as the first Black sports star, winning races throughout the world.
He moved to Worcester 1895 after growing up in Indianapolis.
The bipartisan effort to honor Taylor is being spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Jim Baird of Indiana, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson of Illinois, a Democrat. U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, is a co-sponsor.
The legislators are pushing a bill for the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to Taylor.
"Marshall W. 'Major' Taylor challenged both the odds and the adversity of his time with dignity and determination, and he went on to ultimately triumph," Karen Brown Donovan, the great-granddaughter of Taylor, said in a statement.
More: Al Southwick: Worcester's Major Taylor paved way for Jackie Robinson, other Black athletes
From 1898 to 1904 Taylor was the fastest bicycle rider in the world, at a time when people took note of the sport. He was world cycling champion in 1899 and the American sprint champion in 1900. He held seven world records at the end of 1898. The next year he set a record for the one-mile, clocking in at 1 minute, 19 seconds.
He eventually bought a house on Hobson Avenue in the city's Columbus Park neighborhood.
Taylor — known by some as the Worcester Whirlwind, by others as the World's Fastest Man — faced prejudice on and away from the race course. Promoters sought to exclude him from the lineup.
"As a barrier-breaking athlete, an advocate for racial equality and fairness, an exemplar of good sportsmanship, and a paragon of human dignity, Major Taylor earned global fame in his lifetime but didn't always get the national recognition he deserved," said Lynne Tolman, president of the Worcester-based Major Taylor Association.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Bicycle racer Marshall 'Major' Taylor in line for Congressional Gold Medal
