[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 81 (Friday, June 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NAMING THE FEDERAL BUILDING AT 333 MT. ELLIOTT STREET IN DETROIT, 
            MICHIGAN AS THE ``ROSA PARKS FEDERAL BUILDING''

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 17, 2005

  Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation 
that would name the Federal Building at 333 Mt. Elliott Street in 
Detroit, Michigan after Rosa Parks.
  Rosa Parks was a seamstress and the secretary of the local NAACP. 
Mrs. Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 
December 1955. She was arrested and fined for violating a city 
ordinance. Her defiance began a movement that ended legal segregation 
in America and made her an inspiration to people everywhere.
  The bus incident led to the formation of the Montgomery Association. 
The Association called for a boycott against the city-owned bus 
company. Black people citywide boycotted of the bus system for more 
than a year. As a result of the boycott and the actions of Rosa Parks, 
the Supreme Court eventually outlawed racial segregation on public 
transportation.
  Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama on 
February 4, 1913. In 1957, Mrs. Parks and her husband Raymond moved to 
Detroit. She continued her seamstress career and later served on the 
staff of Congressman John Conyers. After the death of her husband, she 
founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. The 
Institute sponsors leadership programs for youth, including an annual 
summer program for teenagers called Pathways to Freedom.
  Rosa Parks' work helped change history. Her contributions to the 
Civil Rights Movement brought this country a step closer to equality. 
Her devotion to the Civil Rights Movement and the city of Detroit will 
always be remembered.
  I believe people who make meaningful contributions to society should 
be recognized and honored. Naming the Federal Building at 333 Mt. 
Elliott Street at E. Jefferson after Mrs. Rosa Parks will remind 
everyone who drives by or visits the building of the contribution she 
made for Civil Rights.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in honoring the 
``Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,'' Mrs. Rosa Parks, by becoming a 
cosponsor of my legislation to name the Federal Building at 333 Mt. 
Elliott Street at E. Jefferson in Detroit, Michigan after Rosa Parks. 
The building will serve as a reminder of her strong sacrifice and 
unwavering commitment to her community and America.

                          ____________________