[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 140 (Friday, October 28, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO ROSA PARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. JOSEPH K. KNOLLENBERG

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 26, 2005

  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the passing of 
Rosa Parks.
  Rosa Parks took a stand by refusing to leave her seat for a white man 
on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. She forever changed the course of our 
nation with one simple act of courage and stubbornness. By keeping her 
seat in the front of the bus she started a movement which would ensure 
that African-Americans and other minorities would never again be 
required to take a back seat to bigotry, prejudice, and racism.
  The significance of Rosa Parks' life was not limited to the civil 
rights movement, as can be evidenced by her reputation with people of 
all ages. She is just as important to children today as she was to the 
millions she inspired with her singular act of defiance in 1955. She 
led the life of a true heroine, refusing to bow down to intolerance, 
inequality, and narrowmindedness.
  She was the voice of courage, the personification of bravery, and the 
catalyst of change. She sat down when the world told her to get up, 
inspiring millions to demand equality. She leaves a legacy built upon 
strength, pride, and hope. She was the beginning of a movement that 
sought tolerance and equality not only between blacks and whites, but 
also between people of all backgrounds.
  Rosa Parks remains a role model for us all, having demonstrated the 
importance of perseverance and principle. I was and always will be 
proud to say that she was, for at least a portion of her life, a 
Michigander. She will be missed, but her memory will never fade.

                          ____________________