[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 189 (Wednesday, November 29, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H13802-H13803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Hilliard] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HILLIARD. Mr. Speaker, this Friday marks the 40th anniversary of 
the Montgomery bus boycott and the creation of the Montgomery 
Improvement Association. This Friday marks the start of an American 
journey. In my home State of Alabama, 40 years ago, African-Americans 
said they were sick and tired of being mistreated and humiliated; sick 
and tired of being kicked by the brutal feet of oppression; and sick 
and tired of being denied access to full American citizenship.
  This was the most significant boycott of the civil rights movement. 
On December 1, 1955, when Mrs. Rosa Parks decided not to stand up and 
move to the rear of the bus, this was the day when African-Americans 
stood up to injustice and moved to the forefront of the struggle to 
outlaw discrimination, segregation and the notion of separate but 
equal.
  For 13 months, African-Americans in Montgomery refused to ride the 
buses. They refused to accept an unjust system that demoralized and 
humiliated them.
  The strength and spirit of these courageous citizens captured the 
consciousness of the entire world.
  A lawsuit was subsequently filed challenging the constitutionality of 
bus segregation. The United States Supreme Court found that the 
Montgomery AL statutes regarding the segregation of passenger seating 
was in violation of the Constitution of the United States. On December 
21, 1956, 13 months after the boycott began, African-Americans boarded 
Montgomery City Line buses free to sit where they pleased.
  Mr. Speaker, I have introduced a resolution recognizing the 
Montgomery 

[[Page H 13803]]
bus boycott as the beginning of the American civil rights movement. It 
is proper and appropriate for the House of Representatives to 
commemorate this historical event and pay tribute to the courageous 
women and men who placed themselves in harm's way in the pursuit of 
justice, fairness, and equal treatment under the laws.
  I urge my colleagues to support and cosponsor the resolution.

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