[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 144 (Thursday, November 3, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO ROSA PARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 26, 2005

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and 
celebrate the life of the distinguished Civil Rights leader, Rosa Parks 
who died Monday, October 24, 2005 at the age of 92. A woman of great 
character and conviction, Rosa Parks inspired a generation to change 
the course of history.
  For half a century, the story of Rosa Parks--of a woman with the 
courage to challenge an unjust system, has been marked in history as a 
lesson for both young and old. While riding a bus home from her job in 
Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks defied the 
segregation laws of the time and refused to give up her seat to a white 
passenger. She was then arrested and fined $14. Her bold and single act 
of defiance sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system by 
the African American community and ultimately the breakdown of 
segregation in the south.
  Born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, 
she married Raymond Parks in 1932 after briefly attending Alabama State 
College in Montgomery. As the first female member of the Montgomery 
chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People (NAACP), Rosa Parks worked tirelessly with her husband to 
encourage and increase voter participation in the African American 
community. Following the couple's move to Detroit, Rosa Parks began her 
20-year service to the 14th district of Michigan as an administrative 
assistant in Congressman John Conyers, Jr.'s office. She also founded 
the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development to encourage 
leadership among Detroit's youth in 1987.
  Although modest about the pivotal role she played in the Civil Rights 
movement, Rosa Parks has been recognized with some of the most 
prestigious awards and honors in the country. Among her many awards, 
she was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is 
our Nation's highest civil award for merit and integrity, and the 
Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest expression of national 
appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. She was 
also awarded the Springarn award by the NAACP that recognizes the 
highest achievements amongst African Americans and the Martin Luther 
King Jr. Award that recognizes those who work for social change through 
nonviolent means.
  The longest journey begins with the smallest step. Rosa Parks' 
actions seemed small on that December day, but they accelerated the 
Civil Rights movement and enkindled a passion for equality in a 
generation. I had the honor of joining our colleague from Georgia, Mr. 
Lewis, in March to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights 
March in Alabama and the many heroes who were inspired by Mrs. Parks. I 
was moved by their struggles and motivated by their strength. However, 
the journey towards true equality remains unfinished and the most 
fitting tribute to Mrs. Parks would be for us to continue that fight in 
her memory.
  And so today, I join the country in bidding farewell to a true 
American hero and inspirational leader. Mrs. Rosa Parks will be greatly 
missed by her family, the Nation and the world.

                          ____________________