[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 285 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 285

 To recognize and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus 
                                Boycott.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 29, 1995

Mr. Hilliard submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
            the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 To recognize and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus 
                                Boycott.

Whereas, in the 1950's, racial segregation was a pervasive and integral part of 
        life in the South, and the city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, were a 
        microcosm of the segregated society of the South;
Whereas, during this time, African-American bus passengers in Montgomery, 
        Alabama, were required to sit in the rear of the bus, to give up seats 
        to white passengers and, after paying their fare at the front of the 
        bus, to exit and re-enter the bus through the back door;
Whereas, during this time, more than 75 percent of all of the bus passengers in 
        Montgomery were African-American;
Whereas, during this time, African-Americans in Montgomery knew that protesting 
        their unequal treatment could cause them to become victims of economic 
        boycotts, violence, or other forms of intentional misconduct;
Whereas, on December 1, 1995, Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to move from her seat to 
        the rear of the bus, knowing that this refusal placed her job and her 
        life in jeopardy;
Whereas from Mrs. Parks' refusal to move to the back of the bus was born the 
        Montgomery Bus Boycott;
Whereas Mrs. Parks' dignified refusal to act within the confines of an unjust 
        system ignited a spark that spread throughout Montgomery, the South, the 
        United States, and the world;
Whereas the Montgomery Bus Boycott represents the first full-scale, extended 
        effort by African-Americans to successfully challenge discrimination and 
        segregation; and
Whereas, on November 13, 1956, almost 1 year after Rosa Parks refused to move to 
        the back of the bus, the United States Supreme Court outlawed racial 
        segregation on buses: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes and celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 
        Montgomery Bus Boycott; and
            (2) recognizes the Montgomery Bus Boycott as an 
        extraordinary historical event born out of the courage of 
        ordinary men and women in Montgomery, Alabama, and as the 
        catalyst of the American civil rights movement, the purpose of 
        which was to ensure that all Americans, regardless of race, 
        receive equal treatment under the law.
                                 <all>