The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is a prominent civil rights organization that played a vital role in the American civil rights movement. CORE was founded in 1942 in Chicago by a group of interracial activists including James Farmer, George Houser, James R. Robinson, and Bernice Fisher.

CORE was committed to nonviolent direct action as a means to fight against racial discrimination and segregation. One of its most notable actions was the organization of the Freedom Rides in 1961, where interracial groups of activists rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States to challenge the non-enforcement of Supreme Court rulings that declared segregated public buses unconstitutional.

CORE also organized sit-ins, boycotts, and protests against discrimination in housing, employment, and education. The organization played a key role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

CORE continues to be active today, focusing on issues such as economic equality, education reform, and criminal justice reform. It remains an important voice in the ongoing struggle for civil rights and social justice in the United States.