[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11846-S11850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE OF AND EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES OF THE SENATE ON THE
PASSING OF ROSA PARKS
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 287, submitted
earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 287) honoring the life of and
expressing the condolences of the Senate on the passing of
Rosa Parks.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, last evening, we lost Rosa Parks. She died
at the age of 92. Her personal bravery and self-sacrifice have shaped
this Nation's history and she is remembered with reverence and respect
by us all.
A half century ago, Rosa Parks, the black seamstress whose refusal to
give up her seat on a Montgomery, AL bus to a white man sparked a
revolution in American race relations. Rosa Parks decided that she
would no longer tolerate the humiliation and demoralization of racial
segregation on a bus. In her own words, Rosa Parks said, ``People
always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that
isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually
was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people
have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only
tired I was, was tired of giving in.''
The strength and spirit of this courageous woman captured the
consciousness of not only the American people but the entire world.
Rosa Parks's arrest for violating the city's segregation laws was the
catalyst for the Montgomery bus, boycott. Her stand on that December
day in 1955 was not an isolated incident but part of a lifetime of
struggle for equality and justice. Twelve years earlier, in 1943, Rosa
Parks had been arrested for violating another one of the city's bus
related segregation laws requiring blacks to pay their fares at the
front of the bus, then get off of the bus and reboard from the rear of
the bus. The driver of that bus, was the same driver with whom she
would have her confrontation years later.
The rest is history; the boycott which Rosa Parks began was the
beginning of an American revolution that elevated that status of
African Americans nationwide and introduced to the world a young leader
who would one day have a national holiday declared in his honor, the
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
For her personal bravery and self-sacrifice, in 1999, we honored Rosa
Parks with the Congressional Gold Medal.
My home State of Michigan proudly claims Rosa Parks as one of our
own. Rosa Parks and her husband Raymond made the journey to Detroit in
1957 where Rosa Parks's brother resided. In the years since, she
continued to dedicate her life to advancing equal opportunity and to
educating our youth about the past struggles for freedom, from slavery
up to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
In 1987, the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development
was established. Its primary focus has been working with young people
from across the country and the world as part of the ``Pathways to
Freedom'' program. The pathways program traces history from the days of
the underground railroad to the civil rights movement of the 1960s and
beyond. Through this institute, young people, ages 11 to 17, meet with
national leaders and participate in a variety of educational and
research projects. During the summer months, they have the opportunity
to travel across the country visiting historical sites.
The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development has
expanded to include an intergenerational mentoring and computer skills
partnership program, which teams young people with elderly Americans.
Generational and age barriers break down as young people help the
elderly develop computer skills, while the elderly provide their unique
and personalized recollections of their lives in American history. To
date, over 10,000 youth from around the world have participated in this
program.
With the work of her institute, we can truly say that in addition to
having played a major role in shaping America's past and present, Rosa
Parks is continuing to help shape America's future.
Mr. President, I close with the profound, instructive words of Rosa
Parks, which she spoke in 1988. She said: ``I am leaving this legacy to
all of you . . . to bring peace, justice, equality, love and a
fulfillment of what our lives should be. Without vision, the people
will perish, and without courage and inspiration, dreams will die--the
dream of freedom and peace.''
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, one of the honors and duties of serving
in the United States Senate is to note the passing of great Americans
and to recognize their greatness. Last night, Rosa Parks died in her
home in Detroit. She was 92 years old.
Rosa Parks did not set out to become a hero on the evening of
December 1, 1955. She was, like millions of other Americans, merely on
her way home after a long day's work.
She was a seamstress in Montgomery, AL, but her simple, profound act
of civil disobedience was the spark that ignited the modern civil
rights movement. For far too many African Americans at that time
America did not live up to its promise that ``all men are created
equal.'' Thanks to Rosa Parks, America was forced to look at itself in
the mirror, admit its failing, and recommit itself to its founding
ideals.
Dr. Martin Luther King once wrote that ``human progress never rolls
in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of
men.'' This is the story of one such effort.
[[Page S11847]]
Rosa Parks was heading home that winter night on the Montgomery city
bus system, which was segregated. Front row seats were reserved for
White passengers. Blacks were restricted to the back of the bus and
sometimes the middle of the bus. But if a White passenger demanded a
Black person give up his or her seat, that Black person was required to
do so.
On that first day in December, the White bus driver demanded that
four African Americans give up their seats so a single White man could
sit down. Three of them complied.
Rosa didn't.
``If you don't stand up I'm going to call the police and have you
arrested,'' said the driver.
But Rosa Parks had had enough of the evil divisions of segregation,
and she replied to the driver, ``You may do that.''
With this simple refusal, Rosa Parks set into motion a crusade that
would eventually awaken the conscience of our country. Perhaps the time
was right for a nation like America to erase the stain of segregation.
But it was not inevitable that the struggle would start on that day in
that town, lit by one woman's courage and conviction.
Nor was it inevitable that Mrs. Parks took her stand in a town that
counted among its residents a 26-year-old preacher named Martin Luther
King, Jr. In response, Dr. King became the leader of the local bus
boycott. Over time, as we all know, he led America's civil rights
movement to overcome the injustices that robbed millions of our fellow
citizens of their full rights as Americans.
Rosa Parks' life proved that one American with courage can make a
majority. We note her passing with sadness but also with deep gratitude
for the gift she left all of us.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, yesterday, our Nation lost one of our
heroes, Rosa Parks--the mother of the modern civil rights movement. The
movement that she helped launch changed not only our country but the
entire world, as her actions gave hope to every individual fighting for
civil and human rights.
While history proudly remembers December 1, 1955, as Rosa Parks'
bravest moment, her fight against oppression and segregation began long
before that day. Mrs. Parks was active in the Montgomery NAACP, serving
as secretary and as an adviser to the NAACP's Youth Council. She also
worked to register African Americans to vote and was active in many
other civil rights causes. While it was her act of defiance in 1955
that garnered national attention, she had been thrown off a bus 12
years earlier--by the same driver--for refusing to move. Why was she
thrown off the bus? Even then, she refused to give up her seat.
Rosa Parks' bravery triggered the Montgomery bus boycott. The boycott
gained national attention, ushered in an atmosphere of change, and was
the precursor to landmark legislation--most importantly, the Civil
Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Eventually, the issue of
segregation and Montgomery's bus policy ended up in the Supreme Court--
another reminder of how important the institution is in protecting the
rights of every American.
And we should not forget something else. The boycott introduced the
Nation to a young minister, a Baptist preacher named Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.
While the Nation will miss Rosa Parks, we take heart in the fact that
her legacy will be felt by generations to come. As Senators, all of us
have a special responsibility when it comes to the legacy of Rosa
Parks. It is not enough for us to celebrate her life with words. As
leaders of this country, we must honor it with deeds, deeds that
continue the fight Rosa Parks began almost 50 years ago.
Specifically, we must reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, which has
opened the doors of political participation to countless Americans. We
must work to increase educational opportunities so that all young
people have a chance for a better life. We must ensure that our
policies build a better America for the meek and vulnerable, not only
the powerful and strong. This work is how we will truly celebrate the
life of Rosa Parks. All of us in this Chamber have it in our power to
further the fight she began, and we owe it to every American to ensure
her legacy endures.
Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, today the Nation mourns a genuine American
hero. Rosa Parks died yesterday in her home in Detroit. Through her
courage and by her example, Rosa Parks helped lay the foundation for a
country that could begin to live up to its creed.
Her life, and her brave actions, reminded each and every one of us of
our personal responsibilities to stand up for what is right and the
central truth of the American experience that our greatness as a nation
derives from seemingly ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Rosa Parks' life was a lesson in perseverance. As a child, she grew
up listening to the Ku Klux Klan ride by her house, fearing that her
house would be burned down. In her small hometown in Alabama, she
attended a one-room school for African American children that only went
through the sixth grade. When she moved to Montgomery, AL, to continue
her schooling, she was forced to clean classrooms after school to pay
her tuition. Although she attended Alabama State Teachers College, Rosa
Parks would later make her living as a seamstress and housekeeper.
But she didn't accept that her opportunities were limited to sewing
clothes or cleaning houses. In her 40s, Rosa Parks was appointed
secretary of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP and was active in voter
registration drives with the Montgomery Voters League. In the summer of
1955, she attended the Highlander Folk School, where she took classes
in workers' rights and racial equality. Well before she made headlines
across the country, she was a highly respected member of the Montgomery
community and a committed member of the civil rights effort.
Of course, her name became permanently etched in American history on
December 1, 1955, when she was arrested for refusing to give up her
seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus. It wasn't the first time
Rosa Parks refused to acquiesce to the Jim Crow system. The same bus
driver who had her arrested had thrown her off a bus the year before
for refusing to give up her seat.
Some schoolchildren are taught that Rosa Parks refused to give up her
seat because her feet were tired. But our Nation's schoolbooks are only
getting it half right. She once said:
The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.
This solitary act of civil disobedience became a call to action. Her
arrest led a then relatively unknown pastor, Martin Luther King, Jr.,
to organize a boycott of the Montgomery bus system. That boycott lasted
381 days and culminated in a landmark Supreme Court decision finding
that the city's segregation policy was unconstitutional.
This solitary act of civil disobedience was also the spark that
ignited the beginning of the end for segregation and inspired millions
around the country and ultimately around the world to get involved in
the fight for racial equality.
Rosa Parks' persistence and determination did not end that day in
Montgomery, nor did it end with the passage of the Civil Rights Act and
Voting Rights Act years later. She stayed active in the NAACP and other
civil rights groups for years. From 1965 to 1988, Ms. Parks continued
her public service by working for my good friend Congressman John
Conyers. And in an example of her low-key demeanor, her job in
Congressman Conyers' office did not involve appearances as a figurehead
or celebrity; she helped homeless folks find housing.
At the age of 74, she opened the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for
Self-Development, which offers education and job training programs for
disadvantaged youth. And even into her 80s, Rosa Parks gave lectures
and attended meetings with civil rights groups.
At the age of 86, Rosa Parks' courage and fortitude was recognized by
President Bill Clinton, who awarded her the Nation's highest honor for
a civilian the Congressional Gold Medal.
As we honor the life of Rosa Parks, we should not limit our
commemorations to lofty eulogies.
Instead, let us commit ourselves to carrying on her fight, one
solitary act at a time, and ensure that her passion continues to
inspire as it did a half-century ago. That, in my view, is how we can
best thank her for her immense contributions to our country.
Rosa Parks once said:
[[Page S11848]]
As long as there is unemployment, war, crime and all things
that go to the infliction of man's inhumanity to man,
regardless--there is much to be done, and people need to work
together.
Now that she has passed, it is up to us to make sure that her message
is shared. While we will miss her cherished spirit, let's make sure
that her legacy lives on in the heart of a nation.
As a personal note, I think it is fair to say were it not for that
quiet moment of courage by Mrs. Parks, I would not be standing here
today. I owe her a great thanks, as does the Nation. She will be sorely
missed.
I yield the floor.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, with the passing of Rosa Parks, the
Nation has lost a courageous woman, a true American heroine, and an
icon of the civil rights movement. All of us mourn her loss. Half a
century ago, Rosa Parks stood up not only for herself but for all
future generations of Americans. Her quiet resoluteness in the face of
segregation inspired America, transformed the civil rights movement,
and roused the moral conscience of the Nation from its long slumber on
civil rights. We will never forget her, and our hearts and prayers
today are with her loved ones.
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was a seamstress in Montgomery, AL,
on her way home by bus from her work. Under the law at that time in
Montgomery, and in many other places in the South, Rosa Parks, as an
African American, was ordered to give up her seat for a white passenger
when the bus became crowded. She refused, was arrested, and lost her
job as a result. But her courageous act prompted the African American
community to begin a boycott of the Montgomery bus system, which
eventually broke the back of the Jim Crow rules in the system, and
Montgomery buses were desegregated the following year.
Her later life continued to demonstrate her quiet moral resolve and
her extraordinary commitment to doing what is right. She continued her
civil rights work after moving to Detroit in 1957, working with the
office of Congressman John Conyers for over 20 years, and later
starting the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, a
nonprofit organization that motivates youths to reach their highest
potential.
In 1996, Rosa Parks was honored by President Clinton with the
Presidential Medal of Freedom and she received the Congressional Gold
Medal in 1999.
I join my colleagues from Michigan, Senators Levin and Stabenow, in
support of a resolution honoring the life and accomplishments of Rosa
Parks. Her courage, dignity, and determination symbolize the best of
America, the spirit of patriotism that challenges us whenever we fail
to live up to the highest ideals of our society.
Today, as we mourn the passing of Rosa Parks, we are reminded how
much has been accomplished because of her sacrifice, and how much work
America still has to do to fully live up to her ideals of equality. We
are grateful for her example, and proud to carry on her mission of
hope, opportunity, and equal justice for all.
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote about her courageous step
towards equality, ``[N]o one can understand the action of Mrs. Parks
unless he realizes that eventually the cup of endurance runs over, and
the human personality cries out, `I can take it no longer' ''. Let
those words in honor of Rosa Parks be our guide today.
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. President, we learned last night of the passing of one
of this Nation's greatest Civil Rights heroes who will always be
remembered for her steadfast leadership for equal justice. When Rosa
Parks peacefully refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery public bus
in 1955, her solitary act of courage for the cause of equality became a
defining moment in American history.
It was Mrs. Parks' steady courage and unflinching character that
helped set in motion changes that moved the hearts and minds of the
American people. She clearly demonstrated the need for our country to
live up to one of our founding principles, that all men are created
equal. America is a much better place today because of the strength of
this quiet seamstress from Tuskegee. My thoughts and prayers are with
Mrs. Parks' family during these days of sadness.
I would encourage young Americans to visit the Rosa Parks Library and
Museum in Montgomery to learn about her life. It is my hope that the
spirit of Rosa Parks continues to live on in America and that this
Nation and its leaders never forget the important lessons about decency
and equality of opportunity for all. I know that her spirit will live
on in my life.
Mr. KYL. Mr. President, America mourns the passing of a quiet hero,
Rosa Parks, who died yesterday in Detroit at the age of 92.
On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, AL, a seamstress named Rosa Parks
refused to move from her seat near the front of a city bus so a White
person could sit there. Like a shot heard round the world, her act of
civil disobedience spurred the movement to gain social and political
equality for Black people in this country.
It is almost hard to recover, half a century later, a sense of how
much courage it took for her to do what she did. By remaining seated,
she violated a local segregation law that consigned African Americans
to second-class citizenship. She was arrested for disorderly conduct,
and the incident galvanized the Montgomery bus boycott, propelling
Martin Luther King, Jr., the boycott's leader, to a national role in
the civil rights movement.
As the ancient poet once said, ``A good reputation is more valuable
than money.'' Rosa Parks' sterling reputation was what civil rights
leaders banked on in putting her in the spotlight for the cause that
day--and they were never disappointed. Throughout her long life she
exemplified honesty, integrity, and dignity, and articulated the all-
important principle that political and social equality is every
American's due.
Mrs. Parks, along with Dr. King, A. Philip Randolph, Medgar Evers,
Fannie Lou Hamer, Bob Moses, and the other campaigners for civil rights
during the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s, had faith in the legal
process. They had faith, too, in the moral conscience of America. They
knew time had come. Their patience, their discipline, and their
understanding that these two qualities would win the White majority to
their cause, were admirable. Mrs. Parks deserves a share of the credit
for accomplishments in the decade following the famous bus boycott:
passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act
of 1965.
These laws made illegal racial segregation in public accommodations,
in housing, in education, and in the workforce. These and other civil
rights laws have not eradicated bigotry. They have not gotten us all
the way to a colorblind society yet. But they were huge strides toward
making America live up to its founding doctrine that ``All men are
created equal.''
Mrs. Parks took risks to vindicate ideas that transcend race, color,
and religious creed. She said: ``To this day I believe we are here on
the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world
a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.''
She stood for what is universal. That is why interest in one
seamstress' act on a December day long ago in Alabama has never
flagged. There are books, songs, and television shows about the bus
boycott and its humble heroine, proving that unassuming people can do
great things when they are animated by the highest ideals.
Rosa Parks, Godspeed.
Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, it is with deep sadness and heavy
hearts that my wife Julianne and I learned of the passing of Mrs. Rosa
Parks. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Parks family at
this sorrowful time.
Mrs. Rosa Parks, ``The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,'' is an
international symbol of freedom. She stood for what she believed in,
and changed our Nation's history. Her act of courage inspired so many
during the civil rights movement and continues to inspire people today.
Rosa Parks sat quietly on a bus in Montgomery, AL 50 years ago, and
refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Because of the
nonviolent protest that Mrs. Parks displayed on December 1, 1955 our
entire Nation turned its attention to the gross indecencies that were
affecting the black community.
Her solitary action set into play the revolutionary 381-day bus
boycott that
[[Page S11849]]
was organized by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. At the time not many
Americans had heard of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. His protest and
monumental following brought about the November 1956 Supreme Court
Ruling that segregation on transportation is illegal, and in 1964 the
Civil Rights Act, which outlawed racial discrimination in the U.S.
Rosa Parks attended Alabama State College, and upon graduation worked
as a seamstress and housekeeper. She and her husband, Raymond Parks,
were active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People, NAACP. In 1943 Mrs. Parks was elected Secretary of the
Montgomery Chapter of the NAACP, and later became its youth leader. She
was also involved in the Montgomery Voters League, an organization that
helped black citizens become registered to vote.
Rosa Parks continued to set an example for our Nation in 1987 when
she founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development.
The Institute teaches young people the history of the civil rights
movement through an annual summer program called ``Pathways to
Freedom.''
Rosa Parks was one of the most significant figures in the 20th
century, and appropriately received hundreds of awards and honors,
including the Medal of Freedom Award, presented by President Clinton in
1996. Mrs. Parks will be deeply missed, and her legacy will forever be
remembered.
Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I rise tonight to honor the life of Rosa
Parks.
Let's ask an impossible question: Who was Rosa Parks?
Rosa Parks was a seamstress. She was a community organizer. She was
an activist and a leader. Rosa Parks was a carpenter's daughter and a
barber's wife. She was a hero of the civil rights movement. She was a
trusted Congressional aide and a respected youth development expert.
And of course, Rosa Parks was the inspiring protagonist of a stirring
American tale. Protest, reform, and reinvention marked the early pages
of her great human story. On December 1, 1955, on a bus in Montgomery,
AL, Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to stand up and give her seat to
a white man. She was arrested, tried, convicted, and fined for her act
of civil disobedience in less than a week. The citywide boycott
inspired by her actions would last more than a year. The full impact of
those events would change a nation, last a lifetime, and reach far
beyond.
Rosa Parks has played a guiding role not only in the lives of
countless individuals but, over the last half-century, in the shape of
our ever-evolving Nation. Throughout it all, she has been a great
American teacher.
From Rosa Parks, we learned what it takes to be courageous in the
face of oppression and hate. From Rosa Parks, we learned that sometimes
to be strong is to say ``No.''
From Rosa Parks we learned that freedom without equality is no
freedom at all. And from Rosa Parks we learned that fighting the bonds
of orthodoxy and confronting the sources of ignorances is a noble and
urgent cause.
Rosa Parks' legacy reminds us that a lone person can effect great
change; many people working together with united purpose can achieve
even more.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the young Montgomery preacher who helped
to transform Rosa Parks' act of resistance into a powerful movement,
would later say the ``arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends
towards justice.''
If we are to honor the legacy of Rosa Parks, we must never rest in
our pursuit of that justice.
Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, I want to express my thoughts
on the passing of a true civil rights pioneer. Rosa Parks' actions
almost 50 years ago in Montgomery, AL, ignited a movement that
dramatically changed the face of America and the world.
Even before her refusal to give up her seat on December 1, 1955, Mrs.
Parks was already actively involved in the civil rights movement as the
secretary of the local chapter of the NAACP. But her actions that day
laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement in the years to
follow. As a result of her actions, a local public bus boycott ensued
that garnered national attention and resulted in a U.S. Supreme Court
ruling prohibiting bus segregation, mass demonstrations throughout the
South ensued, and Martin Luther King, Jr. becoming a national civil
rights leader.
Mrs. Parks' refusal to give up her seat on December 1, 1955, was a
simple but dangerous action that highlighted the inequalities faced by
millions of Americans living under segregation. Former U.S. poet
laureate, Rita Dove, wrote, ``How she sat there, the time right inside
a place so wrong it was ready.'' America was ready for change and that
change continues today.
As the world grieves, let us remember her courage and work to ensure
that her legacy continues.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution
and preamble be agreed to, en bloc, the motion to reconsider be laid
upon the table, and that any statements relating to the resolution be
printed in the Record, without intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 287) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 287
Whereas Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, as Rosa
Louise McCauley, to James and Leona McCauley in Tuskegee,
Alabama;
Whereas her moral clarity and quiet dignity shaped and
inspired the Civil Rights Movement in the United States over
the last half-century;
Whereas Rosa Parks was educated in Pine Level, Alabama,
until the age of 11, when she enrolled in the Montgomery
Industrial School for Girls and then went on to attend the
Alabama State Teachers College High School;
Whereas on December 18, 1932, Rosa McCauley married Raymond
Parks and settled in Montgomery, Alabama;
Whereas, together, Raymond and Rosa Parks worked in the
Montgomery, Alabama branch of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where Raymond
Parks served as an active member and Rosa Parks served as a
secretary and youth leader;
Whereas on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for
refusing to give up her seat in the ``colored'' section of
the bus to a white man on the orders of the bus driver
because the ``white'' section was full;
Whereas the arrest of Rosa Parks led African Americans and
others to boycott the Montgomery city bus line until the
buses in Montgomery were desegregated;
Whereas the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott encouraged other
courageous people across the United States to organize in
protest and demand equal rights for all;
Whereas most historians date the beginning of the modern-
day Civil Rights Movement in the United States to December 1,
1955;
Whereas the fearless acts of civil disobedience displayed
by Rosa Parks and others resulted in a legal action
challenging Montgomery's segregated public transportation
system, which subsequently led to 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
(352 U.S. 903);
Whereas in 1957, Rosa Parks moved to Detroit, Michigan;
Whereas in 1965, Representative John Conyers hired Rosa
Parks as a member of his staff, where she worked in various
administrative jobs for 23 years and retired in 1988 at age
75;
Whereas Rosa Parks continued her civil rights work by
starting the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self
Development in 1987, a nonprofit organization that motivates
young people to reach their highest potential;
Whereas the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self
Development offers educational programs for young people,
including two signature programs: first, Pathways to Freedom,
a 21-day program that introduces students to the Underground
Railroad and the civil rights movement with a freedom ride
across the United States and Canada, tracing the underground
railroad into civil rights, and second, Learning Centers and
Senior Citizens, a program that partners young people with
senior citizens where the young help the senior citizens
develop their computer skills and senior citizens mentor the
young;
Whereas Rosa Parks has been commended for her work in the
realm of civil rights with such recognitions as the NAACP's
Spingarn Medal, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Nonviolent Peace
Prize, the Presidential medal of Freedom, and the
Congressional Gold Medal;
Whereas Time magazine named Rosa Parks one of the ``100
most influential people of the 20th century'', The Henry Ford
Museum in Michigan bought and exhibited the bus on which she
was arrested, and The Rosa Parks Library and Museum opened in
Montgomery in 2000;
Whereas in 2005, the year marking the 50th anniversary of
Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on the bus, we
recognize the courage, dignity, and determination displayed
by
[[Page S11850]]
Rosa Parks as she confronted injustice and inequality; and
Whereas in 1988 Rosa Parks said: ``I am leaving this legacy
to all of you . . . to bring peace, justice, equality, love
and a fulfillment of what our lives should be. Without
vision, the people will perish, and without courage `and
inspiration, dreams will die--the dream of freedom and
peace'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate That the Senate honors the life and
accomplishments of Rosa Parks and expresses its condolences
on her passing.
____________________