Farmer founded the Congress of Racial Equality or CORE in 1942. Within a year, CORE had a national membership, and within a few years a roster of more than 60,000 members in more than 70 chapters, coast to coast. Farmer himself risked his life in several demonstrations. He was the initiator and organizer of the 1961 Freedom Ride, which eventually led to the desegregation of inter-state transportation in the United States. Former President Clinton awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 1998 shortly before his death in 1999. (January 12, 1920 – July 9, 1999)
