[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19186]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING ROSA PARKS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 1, 2015

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
honor beloved civil rights activist and ``mother of the Civil Rights 
Movement,'' Rosa Parks. Sixty years ago today, Rosa Parks was arrested 
after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a public bus 
in Montgomery, Alabama.
  This single act of civil disobedience unwittingly helped build the 
foundation for a nationwide movement to end the discriminatory policies 
of segregation. She empowered thousands of African Americans to come 
together and launch a boycott of Montgomery buses that lasted 381 days. 
Thousands of members from the African American community rallied 
together to carpool, use African American-operated cabs, or even going 
as far to walk many miles to work. It was a huge success that sent a 
strong message to those who would choose to discriminate against 
others.
  Rosa Parks endured great personal hardship following her protest. She 
was fired from her job at a local department store and her husband was 
retaliated against in his own place of work, losing his job in the 
process as well. Rosa Parks was ultimately forced to leave Montgomery 
for Detroit, Michigan where she could begin a new life. However, her 
suffering would not be in vain and in 1956, the United States Supreme 
Court upheld a lower court ruling that Jim Crow laws were 
unconstitutional.
  Rosa Parks channeled discrimination against her into positive action. 
She founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, 
which is aimed at providing youth with life skills, character 
development, and education on civil rights history. Her contributions 
have been widely recognized thereafter. Rosa Parks is the recipient of 
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's 
(NAACP) highest award, the Spingarn Medal. She was also awarded the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, and was 
awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest award that 
United States Congress can bestow on a civilian.
  Mr. Speaker, Rosa Parks serves as an inspiration to us all. Her story 
teaches us how the brave actions of one individual can inspire the 
actions of an entire generation. Individuals like Rosa Parks light the 
way and show us exactly how we can achieve the change we so greatly 
desire. Her actions changed the course of history and her legacy will 
be remembered far and wide.

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