The Medal of
Freedom
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Civil rights leader James Leonard Farmer, Jr. was one of
13 Americans who received the Medal of Freedom, the nation's
highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton in White
House ceremonies Jan. 15.
Farmer, a native of Marshall, is the founder of CORE -
the Congress of Racial Equality - which was responsible for
the Freedom Rides in the summer of 1961. Those bus rides
testing the federal interstate transportation accommodations
at bus terminals as well as other CORE-initiated non-violent
activities led in part to the passage of the landmark Civil
Rights Bill of 1964, and to the equally sweeping Civil
Rights Voting Act the following year. Farmer is the only one
remaining of the Civil Rights Big Four of the era. The
others were Martin Luther King., Jr., Roy Wilkins of the
NAACP and Whitney Young of the National Urban League.
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The Medal of Freedom was be awarded to Farmer and the others on
the birthday of Martin Luther King. U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin of Marshall
was among the honored guests who attended a reception for Farmer
following the White House Ceremony.
James Farmer is one of the giants and a true American hero,
Sandlin said. He taught us that it's possible to work toward and
achieve meaningful progress through commitment, education, fierce
determination and strong faith. Sandlin said, AAs Americans we are
better off as a people and as a nation thanks to James Farmer.
For three Marshall High School students the award is a long time
coming. Ben Bates and Craig Moore succeeded each other as student
council presidents in 1994 and 1995. Berenda Humble won first prize
in the state for her History Fair Project on Farmer when she was an
eighth grader. Each was involved in the 1995 effort to name a street
in Marshall for Farmer, and in a letter writing campaign and a
state-wide petition drive to the White House four years ago to
recommend him for the Medal of Freedom. All are college students now,
and each was both pleased Farmer had won the award and sad that it
took so long.
Dr. Farmer has always had the personal satisfaction for the
changes he made in this country, said Humble. Now he is getting the
public recognition he deserves and he has needed for a long time.
Craig, now a sophomore at Austin College in Sherman, called
Farmer, Arichly deserving of the award.
It is an honor that should have been extended long ago, Moore
said. Farmer is my hero. Most of the hard work (getting the Medal of
Freedom) was Dr. Farmer's, of course, but I just feel glad that I
helped in a small way. It is just an example that it doesn't matter
who you are, you can change public opinion.
Bates is a junior at the University of Texas in Austin. His
frustrated letter to the Dallas Morning News after Farmer was passed
over in 1995 prompted a lengthy Morning News story on Farmer and his
work, as well as editorial endorsement that Farmer deserved the Medal
of Freedom. AI will always remember one story about Farmer that
exhibits the change he helped implant in this country, Bates
said.
Referring to an incident in Holly Springs when Farmer was four
years old and was not allowed to purchase a soda from the local
drugstore, Bates said, As a child, his nickel was not good enough to
buy a Coke even though the nickels of other children were. His legacy
is that any child in America may buy a Coke regardless of the color
of their skin.
Dr. Farmer has finally gotten an award he truly deserves. Dr.
Julius Scott, president of 125 year-old Wiley College, and a friend
of both Farmer and his father, said, Obviously, this is a very
deserved recognition, both in terms of Farmer's civil rights
commitment, and also for his commitment to justice, equality and
civilization. ANothing could be more congruent that to do it on
Martin Luther King's birthday, Scott continued. Given the ravages of
history, Farmer is the only surviving member of the great civil
rights innovators.
Don Carleton, director of the Center for American History on the
University of Texas campus, is the curator of James and his wife Lula
Farmer's personal papers. James Farmer has spent his entire life
participating in the struggle for human justice and dignity, Carleton
said. His work and activism among such leaders as King, Wilkins and
A. Phillip Randolph was one of the driving forces of racial reform in
America. It is good to see it recognized.
Farmer's roots are Texan, Carleton pointed out, and the Center for
American History serves as the home of his historically valuable
papers. Because of Dr. Farmer's generous decision to preserve his
papers, future students will have an opportunity to have a deeper
understanding of one of the greatest movements for human rights in
America, Carleton said.
The Presidential of Freedom was established by President John F.
Kennedy, but first awarded by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The
executive order creating it says the Medal of Freedom is designed for
persons the president deems to have made especially meritorious
contributions to the security of national interests of the United
States, world peace, cultural or other significant public and private
endeavors.
James Farmer was born in Marshall, Texas January 12, 1920. He
graduated from Wiley College in 1938, and received his Masters in
Sacred Theology from Howard University School of Divinity in
1940.
He founded the Congress of Racial Equality in 1942, and also
served as a labor organizer and lecturer. He ran unsuccessfully for
Congress from New York in 1965, and was the Assistant Secretary of
Health Education and Welfare in the Nixon administration.
Now blind and a double amputee, he resides in Fredricksburg, Va.,
and teaches at Mary Washington University there. He has been the
recipient of many awards, including more than 22 honorary
doctorates.
Marshall News Messenger, January 1998