[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 139 (Thursday, October 27, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H9281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LEGACY OF ROSA PARKS AND JUDGE CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY

  (Mr. MEEKS of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MEEKS of New York. Madam Speaker, it is with great pain that I 
stand here today to mourn the recent passing of several phenomenal 
women and leaders in our Nation's struggle for equal justice under the 
law. The passing of Rosa Parks and Judge Constance Baker Motley is a 
sad reality, but I stand to commemorate their triumphant lives. Judge 
Motley and Rosa Parks faced racism head on and continued to work for a 
more just world until their last days.
  Rosa Parks was 92 years old and almost made it to the 50th 
anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott, which she set in motion by 
refusing to give her seat to a white man on Montgomery's segregated 
city bus system. Mrs. Parks was arrested for her action.
  As a New Yorker, I hold dearly the legacy of Judge Constance Baker 
Motley. That is why I introduced legislation to honor her. Constance 
Baker Motley won nine out of 10 civil rights cases she argued before 
the Supreme Court. She worked on all of the major school segregation 
cases, including Brown v. Board of Education, and advised civil rights 
leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  Judge Motley was the first African-American woman to serve in the New 
York State Senate. She was the first black woman to be appointed to a 
Federal judgeship.
  Rosa Parks once said, ``Memories of our lives, of our works, and our 
deeds will continue in others.'' She was absolutely right. Not only 
will the memories live on, but the legacy has forever stirred the 
resolve of many in our Nation to advocate for social justice, human 
dignity, and harmony.

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