[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2170]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LEGACY OF ROSA PARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 25, 2005

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and works 
of an incredible woman and activist, Mrs. Rosa Parks.
  Mrs. Parks' act of brave defiance rocked the foundation of American 
society and inspired generations of civil rights leaders and created a 
sense of hope for every American facing legal discrimination in this 
country. Ten years after she refused to give up her seat because of her 
color, the country changed completely.
  What seemed like a small act; refusing to leave her bus seat on a 
winter day in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, led to a boycott of the 
Montgomery buses for nearly 13 months by the black community. Her act 
captivated a nation, solidified a movement, and ignited the candle of 
hope for an entire generation of blacks.
  In 1955, Mrs. Parks was a seamstress at the Montgomery Fair 
department store, and on that day, in the winter of 1955, she boarded 
the Cleveland Avenue bus and took a seat in the middle. The bus quickly 
filled up at subsequent stops and soon a white passenger was left 
standing. Mrs. Parks refused to give her seat up as the bus driver 
instructed. In her 1992 autobiography, she said ``People always said 
that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that wasn't 
true. I was not tired physically, or no more than I usually was at the 
end of a working day. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving 
in.'' Soon after Mrs. Parks' refusal, the U.S. Supreme Court 
desegregated Montgomery's bus system.
  A museum and library now stands on Cleveland Avenue where Mrs. Parks 
boarded her bus. She was given the Medal of Honor and the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom. One cannot discuss the civil rights movement without 
mention of her name, and she will never be forgotten for her role in 
challenging the status quo.
  Mr. Speaker, I cannot adequately express my feelings of sorrow at 
Mrs. Parks' passing. Mrs. Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus in 
1955 and took a journey she could never have imagined. But now, 50 
years after her ride, we must remember her journey and renew our 
commitment to equality for all Americans.

                          ____________________