[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 18910]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           ROSA PARKS AND MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, 60 years ago today Rosa Parks boarded a city 
bus in Montgomery, AL. She had worked hard all day. She was riding a 
bus. She was asked to give up her seat by the busdriver, who was a 
White man. She was sick of having to give up her seat and she was 
tired, but she refused to give up her seat, so she was arrested.
  On that day at that moment of courage, Rosa Parks sparked a movement 
that would end the legal segregation of public transportation, the 
Montgomery Bus Boycott. That boycott lasted from December 5, 1955, to 
December 20, 1956--almost 1 year, becoming the first large-scale 
demonstration against segregation in our country's history. The Supreme 
Court ultimately ordered Montgomery to integrate its public bus 
transportation system.
  Rosa Parks went on to become a pillar of the civil rights movement, a 
lifelong freedom fighter who changed the course of history.
  In 2013, a bronze statue of Ms. Parks was unveiled in Statuary Hall 
in the Capitol. In the decades since Rosa Parks refused to give up her 
seat on that bus, our Nation has made tremendous progress in the 
defense of civil rights for all Americans, but we have much more to do. 
Today, 60 years after Rosa Parks took a stand for equality, the fight 
for equal justice rages on. Just like Rosa Parks, many Americans across 
this country are very upset with the status quo, and they are taking a 
stand against injustice and discrimination.
  As we remember the valiant actions of Rosa Parks, may we be inspired 
by her character and her determination. May we follow her example and 
continue the work of the civil rights movement.
  Mr. President, what do we have the rest of the day?

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