[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12932]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                EXPRESSING CONGRATULATIONS TO ROSA PARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 15, 1999

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, today we honor Rosa 
Parks for her heroic acts that helped change race relations forever in 
this country. She lit a fire under the civil rights movement when on 
December 1, 1955 she bravely refused to give up her seat on a bus to a 
white man. Many other people were instrumental in the struggle, but her 
act of defiance of an unjust segregation law visibly rallied people 
together and helped change our nation.
  Congress is awarding Mrs. Parks a Gold Medal because we are proud 
that she stood up for what was right and set in motion the chain of 
events which ultimately led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which 
ensured that all black Americans had the right to equal treatment under 
the law with white Americans.
  We are proud that her arrest rallied people against segregation in a 
year-long bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama that finally ended when 
the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of transportation was illegal.
  Several years ago in Richmond, Calif., in my congressional district, 
I had the privilege to join with the Richmond NAACP to honor Rosa Parks 
at its annual dinner. She passed on her powerful story to younger 
generations of Americans who are working every day to achieve racial 
justice America.
  This medal we bestow upon Mrs. Parks sends an important message not 
just about the history of the civil rights movement but about the 
struggles that our society faces today. The Gold Medal for Rosa Parks, 
I hope, is a message to all Americans to have the courage of your 
convictions and to stand up--or to sit down, whichever may be more 
appropriate--for what you believe is right. As Mrs. Parks wrote in her 
memoir, ``our mistreatment was just not right, and I was sick of it.''
  More than forty years after Mrs. Parks' arrest, despite significant 
improvements, racial divisions are still strong. They show up in all 
elements of society and are still reflected in the huge gaps between 
blacks and white in income and employment, in health and in educational 
achievement. Progress is being made, to be sure, but it is slow. These 
gaps should be intolerable to all Americans, not just to those who must 
suffer their consequences. Most recently, many of my colleagues here 
have also correctly denounced the practice of profiling, where police 
officers stop black motorists for no other reason than they fit the 
profile that the police have decided fits that of a criminal. Profiling 
is being challenged as violation of these motorists civil rights and 
this practice should indeed be brought to an abrupt halt.
  As we thank Rosa Parks and honor her with a Congressional medal, we 
must also dedicate ourselves to carry out her dream of a just and 
tolerant society. Her bold action inspired thousands of Americans to 
join together to demand change. It should still inspire us to make our 
society a more just and humane place.
  Many people have commemorated the courageous action of Rosa Parks, 
including the popular and very talented group, The Nevill Brothers, who 
wrote a tribute to her. I could not agree with them more when they 
sing.

Thank you Miss Rosa
You were the spark
That started our freedom movement,
Thank you Sister Rosa Parks.

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