[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 161 (Thursday, December 13, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S8044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 618--OBSERVING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF CIVIL RIGHTS 
              ICON ROSA PARKS AND COMMEMORATING HER LEGACY

  Mr. LEVIN (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Alexander, 
Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. 
Boxer, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Kerry, Mrs. Hutchison, Mrs. 
Gillibrand, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Reid of Nevada, Ms. Mikulski, 
Mr. Durbin, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. 
Lieberman, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Kohl, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. 
McCaskill, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Coons, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. 
Manchin, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Hagan, Mr. Casey, Mr. Begich, Mr. 
Menendez, Mr. Warner, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
Inouye, Mr. Corker, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Franken, Mr. 
Rockefeller, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Reed 
of Rhode Island, and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 618

       Whereas Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born on February 4, 
     1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, the first child of James and 
     Leona (Edwards) McCauley;
       Whereas Rosa Parks dedicated her life to the cause of 
     universal human rights and truly embodied the love of 
     humanity and freedom;
       Whereas Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955, in 
     Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a 
     bus to a white man, and her stand for equal rights became 
     legendary;
       Whereas news of the arrest of Rosa Parks resulted in 
     approximately 42,000 African Americans boycotting Montgomery 
     buses for 381 days, beginning on December 5, 1955, until the 
     bus segregation law was changed on December 21, 1956;
       Whereas the United States Supreme Court ruled on November 
     13, 1956, that the Montgomery segregation law was 
     unconstitutional, and on December 20, 1956, Montgomery 
     officials were ordered to desegregate buses;
       Whereas the civil rights movement led to the Civil Rights 
     Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352; 78 Stat. 241), which broke 
     down the barrier of legal discrimination against African 
     Americans and made equality before the law a reality for all 
     people of the United States;
       Whereas Rosa Parks has been honored as the ``first lady of 
     civil rights'' and the ``mother of the freedom movement'', 
     and her quiet dignity ignited the most significant social 
     movement in the history of the United States;
       Whereas, in 1987, Rosa Parks and her close associate Elaine 
     Steele cofounded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for 
     Self Development to motivate and direct youth to achieve 
     their highest potential through Rosa Parks' philosophy of 
     ``quiet strength'' and cross-cultural exposure for nurturing 
     a global and inclusive perspective;
       Whereas Rosa Parks was the recipient of many awards and 
     accolades for her efforts on behalf of racial harmony, 
     including the Congressional Gold Medal, the Spingarn Award, 
     which is the highest honor of the National Association for 
     the Advancement of Colored People for civil rights 
     contributions, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which 
     is the highest civilian honor in the United States, and was 
     named one of the 20 most influential and iconic figures of 
     the 20th century;
       Whereas Rosa Parks sparked one of the largest movements in 
     the United States against racial segregation, and by her 
     quiet courage symbolizes all that is vital about nonviolent 
     protest because of the way she endured threats of death and 
     persisted as an advocate for the basic lessons she taught the 
     people of the United States;
       Whereas Rosa Parks and her husband Raymond Parks relocated 
     to Michigan in 1957, and remained in Michigan until the death 
     of Rosa Parks on October 24, 2005;
       Whereas, on Tuesday, October 26, 2005 the United States 
     Senate adopted a Resolution expressing its condolences on the 
     passing of Rosa Parks, and honored her life and 
     accomplishments;
       Whereas, in recognition of the historic contributions of 
     Rosa Parks, her remains were placed in the rotunda of the 
     Capitol from October 30 to October 31, 2005, so that the 
     people of the United States could pay their last respects to 
     this great American;
       Whereas, in November 2005, Congress authorized the Joint 
     Committee on the Library to procure a statue of Rosa Parks to 
     be placed in the Capitol;
       Whereas the United States Postal Service will issue a stamp 
     in February 2013 to honor Rosa Parks and her courage to act 
     at a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement;
       Whereas, the bus on which Rosa Parks sparked a new era in 
     the American quest for freedom and equality is one of the 
     most significant artifacts of the American civil rights 
     movement and is on permanent display in the Henry Ford Museum 
     in Dearborn, Michigan;
       Whereas, on February 4, 2013, the Henry Ford Museum, will 
     commemorate the 100th birthday of Rosa Parks by calling for a 
     National Day of Courage and sponsoring a program that 
     highlights her contributions to the civil rights movement, 
     including a day-long celebration, with both virtual and on-
     site activities featuring nationally-recognized speakers, 
     musical and dramatic interpretative performances, a panel 
     presentation of ``Rosa's Story'' and a reading of the tale 
     ``Quiet Strength'', featuring the actual bus on which Rosa 
     Parks sat as the centerpiece in commemorating Rosa Parks' 
     extraordinary life and accomplishments, and affording 
     everyone the opportunity to board the bus and sit in the seat 
     that Rosa Parks refused to give up; and
       Whereas the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University and the 
     Mobile Studio will commemorate the birthday of Rosa Parks 
     with the 100th Birthday Wishes Project, culminating on 
     February 4, 2013, with a 100th birthday celebration at the 
     Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts in Montgomery, Alabama, 
     where 2,000 birthday wishes submitted by individuals 
     throughout the United States will be transformed into 200 
     graphic messages: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) observes the 100th birthday of civil rights icon Rosa 
     Parks; and
       (2) commemorates the legacy of Rosa Parks to inspire all 
     people of the United States to stand up for freedom and the 
     principles of the Constitution.

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