[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 143 (Wednesday, November 2, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H9490-H9492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      ROSA PARKS FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1285) to designate the Federal building located at 333 
Mt. Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal 
Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1285

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF ROSA PARKS FEDERAL BUILDING.

       The Federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott Street in 
     Detroit, Michigan, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``Rosa Parks Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building''.

     SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF WILLIAM B. BRYANT ANNEX.

       The annex, located on the 200 block of 3rd Street Northwest 
     in the District of Columbia, to the E. Barrett Prettyman 
     Federal Building and United States Courthouse located at 
     Constitution Avenue Northwest in the District of Columbia 
     shall be known and designated as the ``William B. Bryant 
     Annex''.

     SEC. 4. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the annex referred to 
     in section 3 shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
     ``William B. Bryant Annex''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) and the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent).


                             General Leave

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on S. 1285.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  S. 1285 honors two Americans by designating buildings in their honor. 
This bill designates the Federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott 
Street, Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building,'' and 
the annex of the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Building and Courthouse 
located in the District of Columbia as the ``William B. Bryant Annex.''
  Last week, the House passed H.R. 2967, which would have named the 
building in Detroit after Rosa Parks. We are back here today because 
the Senate amended their version of this bill to include the 
designation in honor of Judge William Bryant.
  Rosa Parks has been eulogized and honored by many people who knew her 
better than I, but I would like to take this opportunity to express my 
condolences to those who knew her and praise her to those that will 
hopefully follow her example.
  Rosa Parks is well known for a simple, yet historic, act of defiance. 
To paraphrase something the Mayor of Detroit said at a service in her 
honor, ``She stood for what was right, by sitting down.'' This act 
inspired further acts of civil disobedience and earned her the title of 
the ``mother of the civil rights movement.''
  Hers is an example that we should commend to our children and our 
grandchildren, an example of fortitude and resolution to do what is 
right, even when it meant great risk to her personal safety. She is 
truly deserving of this honor we are bestowing today.
  We are also here to honor Judge William B. Bryant, a Federal judge in 
the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Judge Bryant was 
the first African American to be named Chief Judge of the United States 
District Court for the District of Columbia.
  Though born in Alabama, William Bryant moved with his family to 
Washington, D.C., at the age of 1 and made D.C. his home for the past 
92 years. After serving in the United States Army and attending Howard 
University, he began his legal career working in private practice and 
as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Judge 
Bryant was appointed to the United States District Court by President 
Lyndon Baines Johnson and was later named Chief Judge. His appointment 
to the bench was monumental during the civil rights movement, as 
African Americans struggled for rights as full and equal citizens of 
this Nation.
  During the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks and Judge Bryant were 
viewed as heroic icons by African Americans. Today, they are recognized 
and remembered by people of all races for not only the effect they have 
on the civil rights movement but also for their subsequent 
accomplishments.
  I believe this is a fitting honor to a woman whose actions helped 
transform and improve our society and to a distinguished jurist who has 
served our Nation for over 40 years.
  I support this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to do the 
same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I thank the gentleman for bringing forward this bill; and I rise in 
strong support of S. 1285, a bill to designate the Federal building 
located at 333 Mt. Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa 
Parks Federal Building.'' This bill also contains a provision to name 
the annex to the E. Barrett Prettyman courthouse here in the District 
of Columbia in honor of Federal District Court Judge William B. Bryant.
  Both are legendary African Americans, and the agreement that Federal 
buildings should be named in their honor is both wide and deep.
  I thank my good friend and colleague from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick) 
for her diligent leadership on the Rosa Parks Federal building 
designation. I also want to thank my good friend of longstanding, the 
senior Senator from Virginia, Senator John Warner, for tirelessly 
working with me for more than 3 years to achieve this honor for Judge 
Bryant. I am deeply grateful as well to Senate Judiciary Committee 
ranking member Patrick Leahy, who also was particularly conscientious 
in pressing for this honor for Judge Bryant.
  I spoke last Wednesday, Mr. Speaker, concerning the events that led 
Rosa Parks to challenge the daily humiliation of Montgomery, Alabama's 
black residents who were required to pay their bus fare to the driver, 
then get off and reenter through the rear door, and then relinquish 
their seats and move to the back of the bus upon the demand of any 
white passenger. Since then, Congress has broken with precedent and 
voted to allow Rosa Parks to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, and 
she did so just a few days ago, the first woman and only the second 
African American who has been accorded this honor. In so doing, the 
United States of America recognized the unique and extraordinary 
contribution of Rosa Parks to her country. Her simple act of civil 
disobedience in refusing to relinquish her seat on demand from a white 
man on a segregated bus was the functional equivalent of a nonviolent 
shot heard around the world.
  Fifty years later, time may blur the enormous personal risk Rosa 
Parks took on in America in 1955. During our country's tragic racial 
history, black men had been lynched for less. Grievances like those of 
African Americans after 400 years of slavery and humiliating 
discrimination had been resolved by violent revolution throughout human 
history.
  Our country is enormously in Rosa Parks' debt because the revolution 
that led to the end of government and legally sanctioned discrimination 
began with a nonviolent revolutionary act, setting an example that 
endured. So brave was her act in the South in 1955 that even those of 
us who were young, in school, and had nothing to lose did not engage in 
the first sit-ins until 5 years later. The act of one woman finally led 
to the mass civil rights movement, the missing ingredient in the civil 
rights struggle. This movement was Rosa Parks' special gift to her 
people and to those who joined them, especially the residents of the

[[Page H9491]]

District of Columbia, who still feed from her inspiration to achieve 
equality with other Americans, including equal voting rights in the 
Congress of the United States.
  In an era of peacock leaders who strut their stuff, her selfless 
example is an especially important guide. In great humility, Rosa 
Parks' gift was not the message that ``I am doing this to free you.'' 
Her message was far more direct: ``Free yourself.'' It is with 
gratitude that we bring this bill forward today in that spirit.
  The honor for Judge William Bryant has an unusual origin indeed. The 
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of 
Columbia, Judge Hogan, for himself and all the members of the trial 
court, visited my office to request that the annex under construction 
for the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal building be named for a senior 
U.S. judge, Judge William B. Bryant. Judge Bryant was unaware of the 
desires and actions of his colleagues, who unanimously agreed to 
request that the annex be named for the judge. It is rare that Congress 
names a courthouse or an annex for a judge who has served in that court 
and even more rare for a judge who is still sitting.
  All who have been involved in this effort recognize and agree that 
giving an honor to a sitting judge has been granted in the past but 
only rarely and should be reserved only for the most extraordinary of 
judges. Judge William Bryant is such a judge.

                              {time}  1600

  I am particularly grateful to this House which early understood the 
unique importance of Judge Bryant's contributions and unhesitatingly 
passed this bill last session.
  Judge Bryant's colleagues who know his work and his temperament best 
have found a particularly appropriate way for the court, the bar, our 
city, and our country to celebrate the life and accomplishments of a 
truly great judge. I know Judge Bryant personally. I know his 
reputation in this city and in the law, and I know that the request to 
name the annex for Judge Bryant reflects deep respect for his unusually 
distinguished life at the bar.
  Judge Bryant began his career in private practice in the segregated 
Washington of the 1940s and 1950s when African American lawyers were 
barred from membership in the District of Columbia Bar Association and 
even from using the bar law library. He established his legal 
reputation as a partner of the legendary African American law firm, 
Houston, Bryant & Gardner, and taught at Howard University Law School. 
His reputation as an extraordinary trial lawyer led to his appointment 
as the first African American Assistant United States Attorney for the 
District of Columbia. He later rose to become the first African 
American to serve as chief judge of the United States District Court, 
whose members now ask that the annex be named for Judge Bryant.
  For his representation of criminal defendants in private practice, 
Judge Bryant was admired as one of the city's best and most respected 
trial lawyers. Among his many notable cases is the landmark Mallory v. 
United States, a 1957 Supreme Court decision where the Court ruled that 
an arrested person must be promptly brought before a judicial officer.
  Judge Bryant was born in Wetumpka, Alabama, but grew up in this city 
and graduated from D.C. public schools, Howard University, and Howard 
Law School where he was first in his class. After graduation, Judge 
Bryant served as chief research assistant to Dr. Ralph Bunche when 
Bunche worked with Gunnar Myrdal, the famous Swedish economist, in his 
studies of African American racial issues. Judge Bryant served in the 
United States Army during World War II and was honorably discharged as 
a lieutenant colonel in 1947.
  The judge, who is 94, took senior status in 1982. Chief Judge Thomas 
Hogan wrote that Judge Bryant ``lost his beloved wife, Astaire, and now 
lives alone with this court and the law as the center of his life.''
  This unusual request from all the judges of the court gives this 
designation great credibility. I am grateful to the judges of our U.S. 
District Court here for the thoughtful proposal that honors a 
Washingtonian and a lawyer of historic proportions. I very much 
appreciate the many efforts of my friends in the Senate, especially 
Senators Warner and Leahy, in helping me to get this bill through both 
Houses. I especially appreciate the leadership of this House who went 
to extraordinary lengths to make sure that this bill would be 
accomplished.
  The residents of this city and the court that Judge Bryant has served 
so well, and members of the bar here, join me in gratitude for this 
tribute. We are all especially pleased to see two notable African 
Americans celebrated together in this House today in this special way.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I support S. 1285, a bill naming a federal 
building in Detroit, Michigan after Rosa Parks and I join my colleagues 
in paying tribute to Mrs. Parks's courage and high ideals. Rosa Parks's 
simple act of refusing to get up from her seat to comply with an unjust 
law inspired a movement that brought an end to state-mandated racial 
segregation. Mrs. Parks was inspired to challenge government power by 
her conviction that laws that treated African-Americans as second-class 
citizens violated the natural rights all humans receive from their 
creator--rights which no government can justly infringe.
  Rosa Parks's use of peaceful means of civil disobedience to challenge 
unjust laws stands as a shinning example of how peaceful means, such as 
civil disobedience and boycotts, can overcome seemingly insurmountable 
obstacles and advance the cause of liberty. The example of Rosa Parks 
shows how an individual with the courage and conviction to stand alone 
against injustice can make a difference by inspiring others to take a 
stand. I hope all friends of freedom will draw inspiration from the 
example of Rosa Parks.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1285, a 
bill to designate a Federal building in Detroit, Michigan, as the 
``Rosa Parks Federal Building'' and to designate the annex of the 
Prettyman Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C., as 
the ``William B. Bryant Annex''.
  Rosa Parks is known as the ``mother of the civil rights movement''. 
With one single act of defiance--when she refused to give up her seat 
on the Cleveland Avenue bus in Montgomery, Alabama--she galvanized a 
Nation and changed the course of history. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. 
Parks was sitting in the middle row of the bus with three other black 
riders. The bus driver demanded that all four give up their seats so 
that a single white man could sit. Three of the riders complied. Mrs. 
Parks remained seated.
  It is important to keep in mind that what is often remembered as a 
quiet act of civil disobedience took tremendous personal courage. 
Blacks at that time had been arrested, and even beaten or killed, for 
refusing to follow the orders of bus drivers. Rosa Parks was arrested, 
jailed, and fined $14.
  As Mrs. Parks herself has said in the years following that pivotal 
moment, she hadn't planned on taking a stand that day. She hadn't 
planned on becoming the face of the injustices of segregation. She had 
simply had enough. She was tired of being treated like a second-class 
citizen. She had had enough.
  Mrs. Parks' act of courage sparked the civil rights movement. A 
boycott of the public buses was organized for Monday, December 5, the 
day of Mrs. Parks' trial. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., then a 
young preacher who was only 26 years old, organized the boycott. The 
boycott lasted 381 days, ending only after the Supreme Court outlawed 
segregation on buses. It captured the attention of the Nation and 
forced people to confront the inequalities that were then commonplace. 
The civil rights movement ultimately led to the passage of the landmark 
Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned racial discrimination in public 
accommodations, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  Rosa Parks is an American icon. By refusing to give up her seat on 
that Montgomery bus, she changed the course of history. This honor is 
long overdue.
  Mr. Speaker, Rosa Parks was 92 when she died. Her funeral was today. 
I'm only sorry that we could not have passed this bill while Mrs. Parks 
was still alive. Although she suffered from dementia in her later 
years, I believe that she would have understood and appreciated such 
recognition from the United States Congress.

  The strength and presence of a Federal building perfectly captures 
the character and personality of this icon of the civil rights 
movement. It is fitting and just that her life and public 
accomplishments are acknowledged with this designation.
  Mr. Speaker, I also support the provision of this bill to designate 
the annex to the Prettyman Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in 
Washington, D.C., as the ``William B. Bryant Annex''. I thank the 
Gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), Ranking 
Democratic Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public 
Buildings, and Emergency Management, for her steadfastness and support 
for naming the annex for

[[Page H9492]]

Judge Bryant. In the last Congress, Ms. Norton was instrumental in 
House consideration of H.R. 4294, a bill to name the annex for Judge 
Bryant. Unfortunately, the Senate did not consider the bill. In this 
Congress, Ms. Norton introduced H.R. 1015 to continue her effort to 
honor this distinguished jurist.
  Judge Bryant is 94 years old, and is legendary in District legal 
circles. He practiced law in the 1940's and 1950's when the city was 
segregated. He could not join the D.C. Bar Association or use its 
facilities. Yet, he has achieved great stature as a trial lawyer and 
enjoys an enviable reputation.
  Judge Bryant is a lifelong D.C. resident who attended D.C. public 
schools and Howard University Law School, where he graduated first in 
his class. He began his legal career in private practice in the 
District with the legendary African American law firm of Houston, 
Bryant and Gardner. In 1965, he was nominated by President Johnson to 
the federal bench and confirmed by the Senate later that year. Judge 
Bryant is the first African American to hold the post of Chief Judge 
for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
  During his long, productive legal career Judge Bryant also served as 
the first African American Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of 
Columbia, and taught at Howard University Law School.
  The judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia 
unanimously agreed to name the annex in honor of Judge Bryant and 
approached Congresswoman Norton and Senator John Warner for their help. 
For the past several years, Ms. Norton and Senator Warner have worked 
to overcome Senate objections to naming the annex in honor of Judge 
Bryant because he continues to serve in active, senior status.
  It is an extraordinary testament to Rosa Parks that, even in her 
death, her work is not done. The bill to honor her became the 
unstoppable legislative vehicle to ensure that Judge Bryant, this 
extraordinary African American jurist, be honored with this designation 
while he is still living.
  I strongly support S. 1285 and urge my colleagues to join me in 
honoring these legendary American heroes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 
proposed legislation ``To designate the Federal building located at 333 
Mt. Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan, as the `Rosa Parks Federal 
Building'.''
  More than 50 years ago, on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded her 
normal bus home and sat down in one of the ``colored'' aisles toward 
the back of the bus. Soon, the bus began to fill, and Rosa was ordered 
to vacate her seat to accommodate the white passengers. She simply but 
stubbornly refused.
  This peaceful act of protest sparked a citywide boycott of the bus 
system by the African American community. Men, women and children of 
Montgomery, Alabama refrained from riding the bus and instead either 
walked, rode their bikes or carpooled to work. In an impressive show of 
strength and courage, the boycott endured for over a year, and people 
across the nation joined with those in Montgomery. After 381 days, the 
City bus line finally relented and desegregated the buses.
  Four days after the initial incident on the bus, a young man stood up 
in front of a large audience, having just been appointed as the head of 
the boycott: ``There comes a time,'' the man said, ``that people get 
tired. We are here this evening to say to those who have mistreated us 
for so long, that we are tired, tired of being segregated and 
humiliated, tired of being kicked about by the brutal feet of 
oppression.'' The name of that young man spurred to action by Rosa 
Parks was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  Rosa was found guilty that very same day of breaking the city's 
segregation law. It was over 50 years ago that Rosa Parks chose to 
peacefully but willfully stand up--or rather sit down--against the 
abhorrent laws that segregated this country. Let us honor and celebrate 
what Rosa Louise Parks helped this country accomplish half a century 
ago by urging for this federal building be named in her honor. But let 
us also remember that her fight is not over. Let this building, the 
``Rosa Parks Federal Building,'' stand as a pillar of remembrance for 
this and future generations. Let this building always remind us of the 
battle she fought for freedom and equality, and the battles still being 
fought here and across the world today.
  I support the proposed resolution for the foregoing reasons, and I 
urge my colleagues to follow suit.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Foley). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 1285.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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