[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 13, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


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INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROSA 
             PARKS' REFUSAL TO GIVE UP HER SEAT ON THE BUS

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                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 13, 2005

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to introduce a resolution 
commemorating Rosa Parks and her decision to stand up to injustice 50 
years ago. On December 1, 1955, Ms. Parks refused to obey a bus 
driver's order that she give up her bus seat in the black section to a 
white man because the white section was full. It is the courage, 
dignity, and determination that Ms. Parks exemplified on this day that 
allows most historians to credit her with beginning the modern day 
civil rights movement. Ms. Parks's actions on December 1, 1955 led to 
the desegregation of American society and enabled all of this nation's 
citizens to realize freedom and equality.
  The arrest of Ms. Parks led African Americans and sympathizers of 
other races to boycott the Montgomery city bus line until the buses in 
Montgomery were desegregated. The 381 day Montgomery Bus Boycott 
encouraged other courageous people across the United States to organize 
in protest and demand equal rights for all. The fearless acts of civil 
disobedience displayed by Rosa Parks and others resulted in the United 
States Supreme Court, on November 13, 1956, affirming a district court 
decision that held that Montgomery segregation codes deny and deprive 
African Americans of the equal protection of the laws. This decision 
would lead to other landmark Supreme Court decisions in which the Court 
would rule in the interest of justice and equality.
  In the years following the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Ms. Parks moved to 
Detroit, Michigan in 1957 and continued her civil rights work by 
working in my District Office. Ms. Parks was with the office from 1965 
until 1988. In the more than twenty years that Ms. Parks was in the 
office, she worked with a tireless spirit for the people of Detroit and 
other Americans. In 1987, she started the Rosa and Raymond Parks 
Institute for Self Development in Detroit, a nonprofit organization 
which motivates youth to reach their highest potential. So it is with 
great pleasure and honor that I stand today to recognize not only a 
civil rights pioneer, but a member of my staff, a constituent, and a 
friend.
  It is in this recognition of the 50th Anniversary of Ms. Parks's 
refusal to give up her seat on the bus, that I ask the Congress and the 
great people of this nation to work with the same courage, dignity, and 
determination exemplified by her to address modern day inequalities and 
injustice. The American dream is out of reach for millions. The United 
States is one of the richest nations in the world so I ask: Why aren't 
our schools thriving? Why are so many African Americans unemployed? Why 
are health care, housing, and college education so difficult to afford?
  Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks displayed a defiant act of courage 50 
years ago so that these questions would not be raised today. I know 
that this Congress and the people of this nation can work to further 
the ideals of Ms. Parks and the Civil Rights Movement.




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