Legislation introduced June 23 seeks a congressional gold medal for posthumous award to Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor “in recognition of his significance to the nation as an athlete, trailblazer, role model, and equal rights advocate.”

H.R. 4083 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson, D-Illinois.

Taylor (born Nov. 26, 1878, died June 21, 1932) was a professional cyclist and native of Indianapolis, Indiana.

In his youth, he worked in bicycle shops and began racing track and road. At an early age, Taylor joined the See-Saw Cycling Club, formed by black cyclists of Indianapolis who were unable to join the all-white Zig-Zag Cycling Club. Taylor won his first cycling competition at 16 years old on June 30, 1895. Taylor was the only rider to finish the 75-mile road race near his hometown.

According to the Forney Museum of Transportation in Denver, Colorado, “After moving to Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1895, he turned professional and participated in multiple track events and six-day races along the East Coast. After setting several world records in racing, he won the sprint event of 1899 at the world track championships and became the first African American world champion in cycling and the second black athlete to win a world championship in any sport. Taylor competed against the world’s best riders in the United States, Europe and Australasia between 1901 and 1904.

“Taylor, nicknamed during his career as the ‘Black Cyclone,’ was a strong advocate for African Americans and black athletes...”

Towards the end of his life Taylor faced severe financial difficulties. He spent the final two years of his life in Chicago, Illinois, where he died of a heart attack in 1932.

Throughout his career, he challenged the racial prejudice he encountered and became a pioneering role model for other athletes facing racial discrimination. Several U.S. cycling clubs, trails, and events are named in his honor, as is the Major Taylor Velodrome in Indianapolis and Major Taylor Boulevard in Worcester.

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