[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8232-S8233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
OBSERVING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF ROSA PARKS
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res.
618 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 618) observing the 100th birthday of
civil rights icon Rosa Parks and commemorating her legacy.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, over a half century ago, Rosa Parks sparked
a revolution in American race relations when she decided that she would
no longer tolerate the humiliation and demoralization of racial
segregation on a bus. The strength and spirit of this courageous woman
captured the consciousness of not only the American people but the
entire world. Her stand on that December day in 1955 was not an
isolated incident but part of a lifetime of struggle for equality and
justice. Twelve years earlier, in 1943, Rosa Parks had been arrested
for violating another one of the city's bus related segregation laws
requiring blacks to pay their fares at the front of the bus then get
off of the bus and re-board from the rear of the bus. The driver of
that bus was the same driver with whom she would have her confrontation
years later.
Rosa Parks, by her quiet courage, symbolizes all that is vital about
nonviolent protest, as she endured threats of death and persisted as an
advocate for the simple, basic lessons she taught the Nation and from
which the Nation has benefitted immeasurably. The bus boycott which
Rosa Parks began was the beginning of an American revolution that
elevated the status of African Americans nationwide and introduced to
the world a young leader who would one day have a national holiday
declared in his honor, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
February 4, 2013, marks the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Rosa
Parks. In recognition of this occasion, I am immensely proud to be
joined by 56 bipartisan cosponsors of S. Res. 618, which was just
adopted unanimously by the Senate, observing the 100th birthday of Rosa
Parks and commemorating her legacy. I am especially pleased to have had
the input of Senators Stabenow, Sessions, and Alexander in the crafting
of this resolution, which is befitting one who so significantly
contributed to the breaking down the barriers of legal discrimination
against African Americans, and equality for us all.
Although Rosa Parks will be forever associated with one day in
Montgomery, AL, she lived most of her life in my home state of
Michigan, and we proudly claim her as our own. She continued to
dedicate her life to advancing equal opportunity and to educating our
youth about the past struggles for freedom, from slavery up to the
civil rights movement of the 1960s.
In 1987, Rosa Parks and Elaine Steele co-founded the Rosa and Raymond
Parks Institute for Self-Development. Its primary focus has been
working with young people from across the country and the world as part
of the ``Pathways to Freedom'' program. With the work of the Institute,
we can truly say that in addition to having played a major role in
shaping America's past and present, Rosa Parks is continuing to help
shape America's future.
In the spirit of the enormous contributions of Rosa Parks to this
Nation, the Henry Ford Museum of Dearborn, MI 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. The activities will include 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,'' and will feature 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.
Mr. President, in November of 2005, upon her passing, Rosa Parks
became the first woman in the history of the United States to lie in
honor in the Capitol Rotunda. And, a few years earlier on June 15,
1999, Rosa Parks was presented with the highest honor of Congress, the
Congressional Gold Medal, of which I was pleased to coauthor. I was
also pleased to be a part of the effort in directing the Architect of
the Capitol to commission a statue of Rosa Parks, which will soon be
placed in the U.S. Capitol, making her the second African American
woman to receive such an honor.
Mr. President, the cosponsors of the resolution are: Senators
Stabenow, Sessions, Alexander, Landrieu, Cochran, Harkin, Shelby,
Cornyn, Boxer, Murray, Coburn, Kerry, Hutchison, Gillibrand, Mr. Leahy,
Sanders, Reid, Mikulski, Durbin, Pryor, Nelson of Florida, Brown of
Ohio, Lieberman, Mr. Conrad, Lautenberg, Kohl, Cantwell, McCaskill,
Wyden, Coons, Baucus, Whitehouse, Manchin, Bennet, Cardin, Hagan,
Casey, Begich, Menendez, Warner, Udall of New Mexico, Klobuchar,
Inouye, Corker, Johnson of South Dakota, Franken, Rockefeller, Udall of
Colorado, Blumenthal, Akaka, Reed, Shaheen, Webb, McCain, Lugar, and
Grassley.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased the Senate will agree to S.
Res. 618, a resolution observing the 100th birthday of civil rights
icon Rosa Parks, and commemorating her legacy. It is hard to believe
that 57 years have passed since Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat
on a public bus, a heroic act for a young woman from Tuskegee, AL, who
joined so many in the fight for civil rights. I am proud of the
progress this country has made toward equality for all, in large part
thanks to the work and inspiration of leaders like Rosa Parks, although
we as a Nation have more work to do.
Rosa's brave act of defiance inspired a city-wide boycott and
national movement, and she remains an important symbol of the civil
rights movement to this day. Her legacy reminds Vermonters and
Americans all over the country that one brave voice or action can shine
a light on injustice and challenge society to accept nothing less than
freedom and equality for all mankind.
In 2006 I was proud to work to reauthorize one of the most important
civil rights laws in our history and to have that voting rights
legislation bare Rosa Parks' name. Unfortunately, some are trying to
overturn that protective and important law despite the continuing
threat to the right to vote. As we commemorate her birth 100 years ago,
I hope we can all agree that threats to civil rights are not a relic of
the past. To honor Rosa Parks' memory, we must continue to fight to
ensure that all Americans can vote and have their vote counted. I thank
Senator Levin for submitting this resolution and am proud to join him
in commemorating the legacy of Rosa Parks.
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or
debate, and any statements be placed in the Record.
The resolution (S. Res. 618) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
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
[[Page S8233]]
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.
Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask that Senator Webb be added as a
cosponsor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________