[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 71 (Wednesday, June 7, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H3488-H3490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WHAT THE LIFE OF ROSA PARKS MEANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Snyder) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SNYDER. Earlier this evening, Mr. Speaker, I read the essay, the 
winning essay from Morgan Sweere, age 9, in the fourth grade in Conway, 
Arkansas. And the title of the essay contest, ``What Rosa Parks Means 
to Me.'' I would like to read two other winners.
  The next one is ``What Rosa Parks Will Mean to My Children.'' This is 
the junior high level essay contest that we held. And the winner of 
this one in the Second District of Arkansas was Brenna Gilstrap, of the 
eighth grade at Horace Mann Arts and Science Magnet Middle School in 
Little Rock, Arkansas. And this is what Brenna Gilstrap has to say, in 
part, about What Rosa Parks Will Mean for My Children:
  ``Rosa Parks has always been an amazing icon to people everywhere, 
symbolizing strength and pride during a period in America where racism 
thrived. I believe everyone is familiar with her story, how she refused 
to give up her seat on the bus to another person and she had to simply 
because they were Caucasian, and how she was arrested for doing so. 
This story of a brave woman standing up for what she believed in will, 
in my opinion, greatly influence the attitudes of my children, teaching 
them important morals. Speak your mind even if your voice shakes. Ban 
ignorance and pay attention to the mistakes made in the past in order 
to prevent them in the future. Always stand up for what you believe in 
because even one little person could make a difference in thousands of 
lives. These are the things that my children will learn from her story. 
This is why it will mean something.
  ``Examine the first moral. Speak your mind even if your voice shakes. 
What this means is that even if you are nervous, even if you know the 
consequences to what you are saying can be brutal, as long as you feel 
deeply in your heart that a change needs to be made, express what you 
feel. Say exactly what you're thinking and say why. Rosa Parks knew 
that the fuss she was making wasn't just about a good seat. It was 
about rights, equal rights for one and all. The right to sit in the 
good seats, use the good bathrooms, go to the good parties, live the 
good life, a life without oppression.''
  And her essay goes on. This is by Brenna Gilstrap, the winner of the 
What Rosa Park Will Mean for My Children essay contest in the Second 
District of Arkansas, and Brenna is in the eighth grade at Horace Mann 
Arts and Science Magnet Middle School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
  The winner of the high school version of the contest, ``What Rosa 
Parks Will Mean for My Grandchildren,'' was won by Alyx Vanness, Conway 
High School East.

[[Page H3489]]

                              {time}  2030

  This is her essay in part. ``What I would like my grandchildren to 
remember about Rosa Parks is the true account of her stand for equality 
for blacks, and the many features she overcame along the way. Even 
though she is usually remembered for only one of her protests, I would 
like my grandchildren to know all the rallies she took part in during 
her life and how it affected the black community.
  Rosa Parks became one of the most recognizable civil rights activists 
on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus for 
a white man. Although a simple act with one woman protesting, it is one 
of her most remembered fights for justice among the races. The incident 
is later recalled by Parks in her book Quiet Strength. `I kept thinking 
about my mother and my grandparents and how strong they were. I knew 
there was a possibility of being mistreated, but an opportunity was 
being given to me to do what I had asked of others.'
  ``Rosa Parks did just that when not going back to the colored section 
of the bus when a white man had told her to. Most historians account 
the refusal because she was tired from a long day's work, but to Parks 
it was more than that. I would like my grandchildren to be told that 
she did it specifically to stand up for her people, that she was no 
more tired than the rest of her days. Because of her refusal to get up, 
a 381 day Montgomery bus boycott was started and her arrest and trial 
caused the Supreme Court to rule segregation on buses unconstitutional. 
This opened the gates for many blacks to come one step closer to 
equality.''
  Her essay goes on it. That is part of the winning essay by Alyx 
Vanness from Conway High School East in the 10th grade in Conway, 
Arkansas, The high school winner of the what Rosa Parks means for my 
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I include the essays of Brenna Gilstrap and Alyx Vanness 
for the Record.

               What Rosa Parks Will Mean For My Children

                          (By Brenna Gilstrap)

       ``Rosa Parks has always been an amazing icon to people 
     everywhere, symbolizing strength and pride during a period in 
     America where racism thrived. I believe everyone is familiar 
     with her story, how she refused to give up her seat on the 
     bus to another person (and she had to, simply because they 
     were Caucasian) and how she was arrested for doing so. This 
     story of a brave woman standing up for what she believed in, 
     will, in my opinion, greatly influence the attitudes of my 
     children, teaching them important morals. Speak your mind, 
     even if your voice shakes. Ban ignorance, and pay attention 
     to the mistakes made in the past in order to prevent them in 
     the future. Always stand up for what you believe in, because 
     even one little person can make a difference in thousands of 
     lives. These are the things that my children will learn from 
     her story, this is why it will mean something.
       Examine the first moral: speak your mind, even if your 
     voice shakes. What this means is that even if you're nervous, 
     even if you know the consequences to what you are saying can 
     be brutal, as long as you feel deeply in your heart that a 
     change needs to be made, express what you feel. Say exactly 
     what you're thinking, and say why. Rosa Parks knew that the 
     fuss she was making wasn't just about a good seat; it was 
     about rights, equal rights, for one and all. The right to sit 
     in the good seats, use the good bathrooms, go to the good 
     parties, live the good life, a life without oppression. She 
     spoke her mind, became an icon, an example, a legend; and I 
     am sure that being a little nervous and a little afraid never 
     stopped her. She knew the consequences, but she spoke out. 
     This is what I want my children to do: say what they feel 
     without being afraid of what might happen or what others 
     would think.
       Examine the next moral: ban ignorance. In other words, pay 
     attention to what happened in the past to prevent mistakes 
     from occurring again. Our country, just like all the others, 
     has made a lot of mistakes: the Japanese camps set up in 
     Arkansas after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, for example. Just 
     because they looked somewhat Japanese, people were sent into 
     crowded camps to live out their lives, forced to sell all 
     that they had, forced to suffer for something they didn't 
     even do. If we didn't learn from that, we might be keeping 
     all people from the Middle East imprisoned now for something 
     they weren't responsible for. And the segregation issues our 
     nation went through concerning African Americans and their 
     rights. If we didn't learn from that, I wouldn't have a lot 
     of the friends that I do now. We would be separated from each 
     other. Rosa Parks helped show America what a big mistake they 
     were making, and I want my children to learn from that, and 
     to stand up like that if they ever get caught in the mistakes 
     of the world.
       Lastly, examine my final moral: Stand up for what you 
     believe in. This is a moral that no one can forget. When 
     something unjust happens, like someone at your school becomes 
     subject to a daily abusive torrent of insult and injury, 
     or when a presidential candidate comes along that you 
     strongly oppose, or when you are treated unfairly by 
     someone around you, you have to stand up and fight. Don't 
     ever forget that even one voice counts, even when amongst 
     thousands, matters. Justice cannot be reached until you 
     stand up and be counted; even just one more step is closer 
     than no steps at all. Rosa took that step, she was 
     counted. This is what I want my children to do: stand up 
     for what they believe in, no matter what.
       Rosa Parks was an amazing role model for all ages to look 
     up to. Her timeless story and amazing perseverence in the 
     eyes of oppression has touched, enlightened, and inspired for 
     many generations. The astounding morals her story teaches are 
     guidelines that should be followed in one's everyday life. 
     Hopefully they will inspire my children to become the amazing 
     and inspirational people of tomorrow as Rosa Parks was for 
     yesterday. This is what Rosa Parks will mean for my 
     children.''
                                  ____


                 Rosa Parks' Story for My Grandchildren

                           (By Alyx Vanness)

       What I would like my grandchildren to remember about Rosa 
     Parks is the true account of her stand for equality for 
     blacks, and the many feats she overcame along the way. Even 
     though she is usually remembered for only one of her 
     protests, I would like my grandchildren to know all the 
     rallies she took part in during her life, and how it affected 
     the black community.
       Rosa Parks became one of the most recognizable Civil Rights 
     activist on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her 
     seat on a bus for a white man. Although a simple act with one 
     women protesting, it is one of her most remembered fights for 
     justice among the races. The incident is later recalled by 
     Parks in her book, Quiet Strength. ``I kept thinking about my 
     mother and my grandparents, and how strong they were. I knew 
     there was a possibility of being mistreated, but an 
     opportunity was being given to me to do what I had asked of 
     others.'' Rosa Parks did just that when not going back to the 
     colored section of the bus when a white man had told her to. 
     Most historians account the refusal because she was tired 
     from a long days work, but to Parks, it was more than that. I 
     would like my grandparents be told that she did it to 
     specifically stand up for her people, that she was no more 
     tired than the rest of her days. Because of her refusal to 
     get up, a 381-day Montgomery bus boycott was started, and her 
     arrest and trial caused the Supreme Court to rule segregation 
     on buses unconstitutional. This opened the gates for many 
     blacks to come one step closer to equality.
       Even though the bus incident is one of her most remembered 
     forms of protest, Parks was actively involved in the Civil 
     Rights Movement long before 1955. She was actively involved 
     in the National Association for the Advancement for Colored 
     People (NAACP), serving as secretary and later as Advisor to 
     the Youth Council at the NAACP. She also tried to register 
     to vote several times when it was still nearly impossible 
     for blacks to do so. December of 1955 wasn't the first 
     time she had run-ins with bus drivers, though. She was 
     evicted from buses several times, recalling the 
     humiliation. ``I didn't want to pay my fare and then go 
     around the back door, because many times, even if you did 
     that, you might not get on the bus at all. They'd probably 
     shut the door, drive off, and leave you standing there.''
       Parks understood the importance of standing up, and tried 
     in every way to bring justice to her race. She knew that even 
     though it was just her speaking up sometimes, someone had to 
     do it, and once voice would cause others to be raised. Rosa 
     Parks believed in non-violent protest, working along Martin 
     Luther King with equality and black's rights. This is one of 
     the most important lessons taught by Parks; violent does not 
     solve anything. She fully stood behind the concept of 
     peacefully making a difference, setting her apart from the 
     blacks that use hate and fury to gain equality. This caused 
     her to be more recognized and respected, consequently winning 
     over a nation's heart for this quiet but strong spirit.
       1995 marked the 40 year anniversary of Rosa Park's refusal 
     at the bus station, and she was still making a difference. 
     Before her death earlier this year, she was active in Rosa 
     and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. It included 
     a program that was Pathways to Freedom, where young people 
     ages 11-18 traveled across the country tracing the 
     Underground Railroad, visiting the scenes of critical events 
     in the civil rights movement, and learning aspects of 
     America's history. Many times she would involve herself in 
     the cross country trip, and students loved talking to her 
     about her experiences. Park's home was located in Detroit, 
     where she still received dozens of letters daily from 
     students, politicians, and just regular people.
       The greatest characteristics of Rosa Parks was her 
     humbleness and her faith in God. When named ``The Mother of 
     the Civil Rights Movement'', she explained that although 
     ``[she] accept[ed] the honor and appreciat[ed] it,'' Parks 
     makes sure that everyone knows that ``[she] was not the only 
     person involved. [She] was just one of the many who fought 
     for freedom.'' Modesty and her willingness to

[[Page H3490]]

     follow God's will has made her one of the most successful 
     women in the Civil Rights Movement. She had strong religious 
     convictions and in her book she states, ``I'd like for 
     [readers] to know that I had a very spiritual background and 
     that I believe in church and my faith and that has helped to 
     give me the strength and courage to live as I did.''
       Rosa Parks did a lot for the black community, and she needs 
     to be remembered for her courageous actions. If I had my 
     choice on what my grandchildren were taught about her, I 
     would want them to know that she was a God fearing, modest, 
     yet democratic woman. I want them to be told her whole story, 
     not just about how she didn't give up her bus seat one day 
     because she was too tired. Rosa Parks needs to be remembered 
     for what she was; honorable.

                          ____________________