[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 86 (Thursday, June 17, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                A TRIBUTE TO THREE CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 1999

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, we were gratified to 
present Mrs. Rosa Parks with a Congressional Medal of Honor. She is 
commonly known as the Mother of Civil Rights. The next day we honored 
Congressman Bob Filner and Congressman John Lewis at a luncheon 
commemorating the thirty fifth anniversary of the Freedom Rides. Both 
Congressmen participated in the rides of 1961. These people were 
willing to sacrifice their own lives in order to free our country of 
social injustice. Accordingly, I rise today to ask our colleagues to 
join me in honoring Mrs. Rosa Parks, Congressman John Lewis, and 
Congressman Bob Filner. All three of these outstanding Americans have 
dedicated their lives to the defense of our civil rights. They 
participated in the Civil Rights Movement, understanding that there was 
a danger to their own lives.
  Rosa Parks boarded a bus in December of 1955. She was not looking to 
incite any trouble. She was tired of being told for her entire life to 
move to the back of the bus for white people. She took a stand in 
refusing to move from her seat and was arrested. A year later, she rode 
a bus again. This time she sat where she pleased. Because of her 
leadership in the subsequent bus boycott, the transit company was 
brought before a Federal court that issued a ruling recognizing the 
right of all people to ride the bus and sit where they pleased. She has 
since become known as the ``Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.''
  Mrs. Parks became the secretary of the NAACP. Later she became the 
Advisor to the NAACP Youth Council. Rosa Parks has created educational 
programs for our youth through the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for 
Self-Development. These programs are designed to expand the knowledge 
of children, ages eleven to eighteen, regarding the Civil Rights 
Movement, the Underground Railroad and other significant aspects of 
African American History.
  Rosa Parks took a stand when the odds were against her. Her 
courageous actions are an example of the efforts that we must all make 
in our everyday lives to defend our rights and the rights of those 
around us.
  Congressman John Lewis became involved in the Civil Rights Movement 
at an early age. He challenged segregation at lunch counters. 
Congressman Lewis participated in the Freedom Rides in 1961. He was 
severely beaten by mobs, risking his life. From 1963 until 1966, he was 
the chairman of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which 
was responsible for organizing sit-ins and other events to help further 
the Civil Rights Movement. John was considered to be one of the ``Big 
Six'' leaders of the civil rights movement. Lewis both planned and 
spoke at the March on Washington. Congressman Lewis led a march across 
the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965. The marchers were 
met by the Alabama State Troopers in a violent scene. This 
confrontation aided in the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  Congressman John Lewis has been a member of Congress since 1986. He 
has been a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, the 
Subcommittee on Health, and the Subcommittee on Oversight. He is a 
member of several different caucuses. John Lewis has served our nation 
his entire life. He embodies everything that our country stands for. 
Today, he is especially devoted to the needs and aspiration of his 
constituents.
  Congressman Bob Filner began his struggle for civil rights in 1961. 
He was a participant in the first Freedom Rides. He was arrested and 
imprisoned in Mississippi for several months for his courageous stand. 
Congressman Filner entered Congress in 1992. He was named to the 
Committee on Transportation immediately. Filner has been an advocate 
for funding Medicare, crime control, education, the environment, and 
veterans.
  These courageous civil rights advocates remind us of our 
responsibilities. They protected the deepest virtues that our country 
promises. That is freedom and equality. They knew and understood that 
the oppression of people was wrong and rebelled against the evil of 
injustice. They recognized the social ills that surrounded them and 
destroyed the foul winds of prejudice.
  We, in the Congress, who are aware of the achievements of Mrs. Rosa 
Parks, Congressman John Lewis and Congressman Bob Filner have a 
responsibility to inform the public of their heroic acts. I know that 
my colleagues will join me in honoring and commending Mrs. Rosa Parks, 
Congressman John Lewis, and Congressman Bob Filner for their 
outstanding achievements. I am confident that their acts will inspire 
us to foster and protect our nation's civil rights.

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