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Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) and Congresswoman Terri Sewell (AL-07) sent a joint letter to President Obama on Wednesday encouraging him to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 103-year-old Amelia Boynton Robinson.

Often referred to as the “Matriarch of the Movement,” Mrs. Boynton Robinson’s role in Bloody Sunday and the march from Selma to Montgomery is immortalized in the Oscar-nominated film Selma.  She also made history in 1964, by becoming the first African-American woman from Alabama to run for Congress.  Mrs. Boynton Robinson garnered 10 percent of the vote, despite the fact that African-Americans only made up 1 percent of the voting population in Alabama’s 7th Congressional district.  Forty-six years later, Congresswoman Sewell now holds that seat in Congress as Alabama’s first African-American Congresswoman.

“I am deeply honored to urge consideration of awarding Amelia Boynton Robinson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  She is most deserving of this prestigious award and I can think of no better way to pay homage to such a commendable individual.  As we celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, we remember the selfless actions of individuals, like Amelia Boynton Robinson, who fought against systems of injustice so that future generations would have opportunities that were not possible to generations past.  We should honor Mrs. Boynton Robinson for her sacrifices and contributions to civil rights, voting rights, and our nation,” said Chairman Butterfield.    

“Amelia Boynton Robinson was one of the brave Foot Soldiers who dared to challenge the unfair and unjust system that kept African Americans from exercising their constitutionally protected right to vote.  Mrs. Boynton Robinson suffered grave injustices on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma at the hands of state troopers on Bloody Sunday, yet she refused to be intimidated.  Her courage paved the way for me to accomplish all that I have today, and her legacy should inspire us not to take any of our rights for granted,” said Congresswoman Sewell.

A copy of the joint letter is attached.

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Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and address their legislative concerns. For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently been the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power and statutory authority of the United States government to ensure that all U.S. citizens have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. To learn more about the Congressional Black Caucus, visit http://cbc-butterfield.house.gov.

Media inquiries: Candace L. Randle at (202) 593-1331 or Candace.Randle@mail.house.gov