[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 153 (Thursday, November 17, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H10786-H10789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PLACEMENT OF STATUE OF ROSA PARKS IN NATIONAL STATUARY HALL
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on
House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the
bill (H.R. 4145) to direct the Architect of the Capitol to obtain a
statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the United States
Capitol in National Statuary Hall, and ask for its immediate
consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I
yield to the gentleman from Ohio to explain the purpose of this
legislation.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution
4145, a bill to direct the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain a
statue of Rosa Parks and to place the statue in the United States
Capitol in National Statuary Hall.
Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Rosa Louise Parks is widely recognized as the
mother of the civil rights movement. She did the unthinkable on
December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on that bus in
segregated Montgomery, Alabama. However, it was this simple act that
inspired a young reverend, Martin Luther King, Jr., to lead a 381-day
boycott of that city's bus system, thus providing the spark to ignite
the civil rights movement.
Before she provided the inspiration for the civil rights movement,
she was already working to break down the decades of Jim Crow laws by
being an active member in the local Montgomery chapter of the NAACP. In
1992, she explained why she did not give up her seat that day. ``The
real reason of my not standing up was I felt that I had a right to be
treated as any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment
for too long.''
In the aftermath of the boycott, Mrs. Parks and her husband found it
difficult to find work and endured a hostile environment in Alabama.
Therefore, she and her husband Raymond Parks moved north to Detroit in
1957. A year after my colleague from Michigan, Representative John
Conyers, was first elected to the House, he made the brilliant decision
to hire Mrs. Parks as a legislative aide. She worked for him until her
retirement in 1988. By then she had founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks
Institute for Self-Development. This nonprofit organization is
committed to working with Detroit's youth to build leadership skills
and inspire them to continue her work on civil and human rights. She
spent the remainder of her life's work focusing on this organization.
In 1999, the United States Congress first honored Mrs. Parks in the
Rotunda of the Capitol by awarding her with the Congressional Gold
Medal, our Nation's highest expression of national appreciation for
distinguished achievements and contributions. Just 2 weeks ago, the
United States Congress honored Mrs. Parks in the Rotunda again by
allowing the Nation to pay its final respects to this great and unique
American by allowing her remains to lie in honor in the Rotunda. The
United States Congress should eternally recognize the significant
contribution she made in advancing civil and human rights in this
country.
Mr. Speaker, I can think of no better way than by commissioning a
statue of Mrs. Parks and placing it in National Statuary Hall. I want
to commend Jesse Jackson, Jr., of Illinois, Mike Rogers of Alabama, and
all the Members that have signed on to this important house resolution.
I want to thank our ranking member, Juanita Millender-McDonald of
California, for her work on this to expedite it and the Speaker of the
House and his staff and the staff of House Administration on both sides
to make sure that this moved as fast as it could here. It is important,
because I think that Rosa Lee Parks did something for every American in
this country that day. I think it is something that we all recognize
changed the entire nature of the country. I think that placing the
statue in Statuary Hall is a great and deserving honor. Again I want to
thank Jesse Jackson, Jr., and Mike Rogers for this fine resolution.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to
object, I rise to join the chairman in support of this resolution which
would allow a statue of the late Rosa Louise Parks to be placed in the
U.S. Capitol. I would first like to congratulate my colleague from
Illinois, Jesse Jackson, Jr., and his partner, Mike Rogers, for their
hard work in building the ground swell of support which this bill has
as well as thanks to the chairman of the Committee on House
Administration, my colleague, Mr. Ney; the Speaker; and the
distinguished Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, for working so
diligently with me to bring this bill to the floor.
Rosa Louise Parks was a great woman who simply sat down in order for
us to stand up here today. I believe that it is only fitting that we
honor this great American by placing a life-sized statue of her in the
U.S. Capitol
[[Page H10787]]
for all to see. I urge my colleagues to bestow upon Rosa Louise Parks
this honor and include among the collection of statues here in the
Capitol the very first statue of an African American woman. Support
this resolution in honor of the mother of the civil rights movement,
Rosa Louise Parks. Once this bill has been passed by Congress and has
been signed into law, I look forward to my role as a member of the
Joint Committee on the Library in overseeing the commissioning of the
statue. It will be a high honor for me to be part of this effort to
further pay tribute and honor to this heroine of mine and to all
Americans who is also from my home State of Alabama.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to now yield to the distinguished
Democratic leader, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and I
thank her for her leadership on this very important matter. I want to
join Congresswoman Millender-McDonald in applauding the Speaker for
making this accommodation so the legislation could move quickly and be
enacted into law and that the statue hopefully soon will be standing in
Statuary Hall and so that this law can be passed in time for the 50th
anniversary of Rosa Parks' courageous action which occurs in December.
I want to join Congresswoman Millender-McDonald in commending the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) as well and our distinguished colleague,
Mr. Jesse Jackson, Jr., who was the author of this legislation. By the
time we all got to Rosa Parks funeral, we already had over 100
cosponsors of the bill and this action tonight will deliver on the
promise that many of us made at that funeral. I considered it a great
privilege to speak there. On behalf of the Democrats and the
Republicans in the Congress, I said that we would soon have a promised
statue in the Capitol. Congressman John Conyers of Detroit has been a
godfather to all of this effort and he deserves a great deal of
recognition and credit for this.
I said at the time that Rosa Parks loved young people. That was her
focus. While we were all praising her for her past actions, she was
always concerned about the impact on the future for America's children.
She was the mother of the modern civil rights movement. She was the
mother of modern society because she made such a change in America with
her courage. She came to the Capitol to receive the Congressional Gold
Medal. It was a proud day for all of us. She brought luster to that
award by accepting it. She came here, as was mentioned, to lie in
state, the first woman to lie in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol
and she will return to the Capitol in a statue to be an ongoing
inspiration.
We in Congress think we have a special relationship with Rosa Parks.
She will live here with us as a constant inspiration of her courage and
inspiration to future generations. When they visit the Capitol they
will be sure to see, observe and be inspired by the life, the courage
and the incredible contribution of Rosa Parks. I commend all of my
colleagues, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald, Congressman Conyers, and
Congressman Jackson for their role in making this possible. It is an
honor to be part of this effort. I look forward to the day when all of
us can converge on this Capitol for the unveiling of this magnificent
statue.
{time} 0200
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Thank you so much, Madam Leader.
Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I yield to the
godfather, the Honorable John Conyers.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California for
yielding to me. This is a proud, especially pleasing evening for me.
There has been so much outpouring of affection and respect and
understanding of the contribution of Rosa Louise Parks that I am
absolutely amazed by it and flattered by it.
Here is a woman who was, true, honored during her lifetime in many
unusual ways; but it seems to me, and I think the leaders here on the
floor tonight are especially cognizant of them, I know that they were
all at one or more of the memorial services. First of all, she had
three in three different States, in which Presidents, past Presidents,
members of the Federal Government and religious leaders of all faiths
came together.
I must say, I have been astounded by the outpouring of affection and
recognition for her contributions. I want to thank the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Ney) for the incredible devotion and dedication he has put
behind the resolution that we are taking up tonight. I appreciate it so
much.
We, of course, appreciate the author, the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Jackson), because his father played such a critical role in the
development of the civil rights movement and its continuation. He has a
story that I never ask him to repeat too much, because I was the one
that introduced Reverend Jesse Jackson to Dr. Martin Luther King in
Chicago. I had no idea of the momentous consequences that were going to
flow from that.
The fact of the matter is that Rosa Parks had no idea that the
consequences of her determination to end this form of segregation,
which she despised so much, was going to have the consequences that
flowed from it, namely, that it would bring Martin Luther King, Jr.,
into the picture and re-create the modern civil rights movement.
I am very pleased to be here. I wanted to just close by thanking all
of the Members of Congress and the other body who came to the memorial
service. I see everyone on the floor here attended that service in
Detroit at Greater Grace Church, where we had a tremendous turnout,
just as there was in Washington D.C., not only at the church, but at
the rotunda itself, and even before that in Montgomery, Alabama.
I have been so renewed in my faith in my civil rights struggle by the
way the Members of the Congress, through many other legislative acts,
and now this one, have responded to this great person who will now take
her place in history in a way that I think will keep the memory of her
contributions to the civil rights movement alive.
I again express my thanks to the author of this resolution, Mr.
Jackson, and the leaders, both the chairman and the ranking member of
the subcommittee.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to the
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman very
much for yielding. What a special time and a moment. I know that our
preference would be to be able to sing praises and to salute Rosa Parks
for a very long time on this floor. I think it is important that we
have the opportunity to hear from the author of this legislation.
I might share just a few moments of appreciation to you, Madam
Ranking Member, for steadfastness and perseverance and the swift hand
and the partnership you have with the chairman of this committee, who
has, through his own love of history, managed to create more history in
this Congress over the last sessions of his tenure as chairman with the
hanging of a number of paintings. Now he joins in the celebratory
announcement of the placing of the statue of Rosa Parks in the National
Statuary Hall of the United States Congress.
Just as a reminder for those of us who grew up just a few short years
ago, I can tell you that there was much lacking in the study of African
American history in our school books. In fact, I might say to you that
through my primary and secondary training, and primary and secondary
schools, there was no study of African American history. I might say
that there was Black History Month, yes, and there would be little
cutout features and stories, maybe; but when I opened the book, I could
not find the place that would tell me the story of a Rosa Parks or
Martin Luther King or maybe even W.E.B. DuBois.
This legislation today has a special place for all of America. Rosa
Parks's history is well known. We know that she first sat down in the
back of a bus and then moved to the front of the bus so that others
might stand and others might run and others might win. We know that she
left Montgomery, Alabama; but I think we should be well aware that she
left because there was no place for her there. The chiding, the
chastising, the attacks on her life, the threats forced her to leave
and go to Detroit, Michigan and what a refuge to
[[Page H10788]]
find the Honorable John Conyers where she could find refuge in a job
that lasted her until her retirement.
Then the founding of the Raymond and Rosa Parks Institute focused on
one issue, and we heard it over and over again in the funeral services,
and that was to help children. So it is appropriate that the Honorable
Jesse Jackson and Mike Rogers would come to the floor with this great
legislation. The history of Jesse Jackson and his family but also his
history of himself and being a student of history and recognizing the
value of the Constitution and the presence of the 13th, 14th, and 15th
amendments that freed us from slavery, also gave us equal rights that
Rosa Parks had so much of that that she deserved this honor. I might
say to you that one of the themes that came out of her funeral was that
when there was trouble, there was wrongness, Rosa Parks stood in the
way.
{time} 0215
I hope that this statue symbolizes the importance of America never
forgetting her history. Rosa Parks was long-standing, determined,
persistent, a demeanor that lit the world but also set the world on the
right path.
We must remember Rosa Parks because, in fact, she brought about the
ending of an America that was locked in the shackles of segregation.
America was held hostage by discrimination, but it was through her
determination and commitment and courageousness that she was able to
break the shackles of segregation in a Nation that had found itself
locked and forever committed to such a terrible way.
So I am excited about the fact that this legislation is on the floor,
but more importantly, it will mean that no child that lives in America
will ever have to worry about a history book that does not recount the
story of Rosa Parks. For all they need do is come to the United States
Congress as they have done over the years in school trips with their
parents, with church groups and parishes and synagogues and mosques and
simply walk up those steps and walk into Statuary Hall and look up and
there at a statue of Rosa Parks and her story will be told.
This is a great day for America. It is a great day for the history of
this Nation. It is a great day for our children.
I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) for his leadership,
and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Ney), and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-
McDonald). It is a great day for America.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. It is an honor to see a new generation
emerge, one who is walking in the footsteps of his own father. It is
great to have the co-author of this legislation here. Mr. Speaker, I
yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson).
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) for yielding.
At the outset, I would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Hastert) and his staff, specifically Ted Van Der Meid, the majority
leader, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the minority leader,
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and her staff,
specifically Jerry Hartz, Lorraine Miller and William Little.
This legislation simply would not be possible without the leadership
of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), the chairman of the House
Administration Committee, and his staff, their extraordinary
steadfastness and leadership for which we are all grateful, along with
the ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-
McDonald) and her staff, specifically George Shevlin and Matt Pinkus.
I especially want to thank my new friend and co-sponsor, the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) who, along with his staff, worked
closely with me and my staff to garner support for this bill. I would
like to thank the more than 200 bipartisan co-sponsors of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise today to speak on this very
important legislation that will honor the life and work of the late
Mrs. Rosa Parks by placing a statue of her in National Statuary Hall.
Everyone knows the story of how Mrs. Parks helped spark the modern
civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat on a legally
segregated bus that fateful day, December 1, 1955, leading to the
Montgomery bus boycott and the emergence of Martin Luther King, Jr.
From the beginning Mrs. Parks led a life dedicated to social change,
becoming an active member of the Montgomery, Alabama chapter of the
NAACP which in the 1940s and 1950s was considered a dangerous
organization. It could cost you your job and even your life.
In 1943, along with State president of the NAACP, she mobilized a
historic voter registration drive in Montgomery and was later elected
NAACP chapter secretary. Mrs. Parks was a courageous woman who
possessed the firm and quiet strength necessary to challenge injustice.
Following the 1954 Brown Supreme Court decision which provided equal
protection under the law's legal framework, her refusal to give up her
seat eventually led to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting
Rights Act, the 1968 Open Housing Act, all of which helped make America
a better Nation.
Rosa Parks remained a committed activist until the end of her life.
In the 1980s, she worked in support of the South African anti-apartheid
movement, and in Detroit in 1997 she founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks
Institute for Self-Development, a career counseling center for African
American youth.
With dignity, with grace and courage Rosa Parks inspired generations
and helped to make the world a more just and compassionate place. In
life she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the
Congressional Gold Medal in 1999, the highest honors our Nation bestows
on civilians.
This placing of a Rosa Parks statue in National Statuary Hall is a
testament to the fact that the long arc of history bends towards
freedom, justice and equality.
When Statuary Hall was created by law in 1864, African Americans
could not be citizens of the United States. Indeed, the term ``African
Americans'' did not exist. Under that law it was impossible for us to
be considered favorite sons and favorite daughters of States. When Rosa
Parks takes her place in Statuary Hall, she takes with her Frederick
Douglass. She takes with her the United States coloreds troops. She
takes with her Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. She takes them
there.
She takes with her countless, nameless people of African descent, who
from slavery to today, sacrificed for an America many would never live
to see.
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who half statue is not Statuary Hall
would implore us, Now is the time.
Let me once again, Mr. Speaker, close by thanking the many people who
have worked so hard on a bipartisan basis to bring this bill to the
floor. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Millender-McDonald), House leadership, the minority
leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and the gentleman
from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). Their staffs, Jerry Hartz, Lorraine Miller,
William Little. The staff of the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Millender-McDonald), specifically George Shevlin and Matt Pinkus. And
also in his absence, the distinguished gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
Rogers), who, along with his staff, made it very possible for this bill
to be on the floor today.
I would also like to thank Senator Kerry and his staff for
introducing the companion bill in the other body and Senators McConnell
and Dodd for their leadership on this important issue.
From my staff, Mr. Charles Dujon and Sandi Pessin who have labored
late into the night to make the co-sponsors of this legislation
comfortable with the language that places Mrs. Parks in National
Statuary Hall. Again, I thank my colleagues for their support. I urge
Members to join me in honoring this extraordinary woman and voting yes
on this important legislation.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, this shows that the future
generations will have hope now in this young Member of Congress.
Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I rise in strong
support of this bill to honor an individual who chose to assert her
civil rights and her human rights at a critical moment in our history
and by doing so she has changed America forever.
I would like to thank my chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney)
for his devotion, his steadfastness, his
[[Page H10789]]
dedication, and his commitment to all people. I would like to thank all
of those, the leadership of the House on both sides, for ushering this
bill to the floor.
Rosa Louise Parks richly deserves this honor.
Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I yield to the
gentleman from Ohio.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to say again thank you to
everyone, George Shevlin, Paul Vinovich of our staff, Ted Van Der Meid
and also to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) and the gentleman
from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) for doing this and, of course, to our ranking
member.
We have had a lot of firsts recently in the short tenure of our
ranking member. We have had the African American Museum. We have had
the portrait of Mr. Ray, and we are about to embark on some other
portraits, and also the first female Member and the first Hispanic
Member. I think it is commendable to the House to look at the great
diversity of our country.
Another thank you tonight. Thank you to Rosa Parks for what she did
for this Nation.
I just want to close my comments with when I studied African American
history, I can remember a quote that I had learned and I used it for
years in many events and occasions because it fits in with just about
anything you do, whether you are a soldier fighting or somebody
struggling for civil rights. It is by Langston Hughes, a great African
American poet and author, who said, ``Dream your dreams but be willing
to pay the sacrifice to make them come true.''
Rosa Parks was a little woman with a big ball of thunder that day and
courage, and she dreamed her dream of an America that cared about all
its people in an equal way, and she paid a sacrifice to make that dream
come true.
Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of
objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kuhl of New York). Is there objection to
the request of the gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
The Clerk read the bill, as follows:
H.R. 4145
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PLACEMENT OF STATUE OF ROSA PARKS IN NATIONAL
STATUARY HALL.
(a) Obtaining Statue.--The Architect of the Capitol shall
enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks,
under such terms and conditions as the Architect considers
appropriate consistent with applicable law.
(b) Placement.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Architect shall place the
statue obtained under subsection (a) in the United States
Capitol in a suitable permanent location in National Statuary
Hall.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this Act, and any amounts so
appropriated shall remain available until expended.
Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute Offered by Mr. Ney
Mr. NEY. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment in the nature of a
substitute.
The Clerk read as follows:
Amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by Mr. Ney:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. PLACEMENT OF STATUE OF ROSA PARKS IN NATIONAL
STATUARY HALL.
(a) Obtaining Statue.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Joint Committee on the
Library shall enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of
Rosa Parks, under such terms and conditions as the Joint
Committee considers appropriate consistent with applicable
law.
(b) Placement.--The Joint Committee shall place the statue
obtained under subsection (a) in the United States Capitol in
a suitable permanent location in National Statuary Hall.
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR PLACEMENT OF STATUES IN NATIONAL
STATUARY HALL.
(a) Eligibility.--No statue of any individual may be placed
in National Statuary Hall until after the expiration of the
10-year period which begins on the date of the individual's
death.
(b) Exceptions.--Subsection (a) does not apply with respect
to--
(1) the statue obtained and placed in National Statuary
Hall under this Act; or
(2) any statue provided and furnished by a State under
section 1814 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (2
U.S.C. 2131) or any replacement statue provided by a State
under section 311 of the Legislative Branch Appropriations
Act, 2001 (2 U.S.C. 2132).
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this Act, and any amounts so
appropriated shall remain available until expended.
Mr. NEY (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
that the amendment in the nature of a substitute be considered as read
and printed in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the amendment in the
nature of a substitute offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).
The amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read
the third time, and passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A Bill to direct
the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain a statue of Rosa Parks and
to place the statue in the United States Capitol in National Statuary
Hall, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________