On September 14, the House approved, by voice vote, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 208) recognizing the 50th anniversary of Rosa Louise Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus, which led to the subsequent desegregation of American society. The House Judiciary Committee approved the measure on July 27 (see The Source, 7/29/05).
Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) said that “fifty years ago, one individual, through one courageous act, gave strength to the citizens of Montgomery, Alabama, to stand up to the injustice and indignity that had become commonplace among its citizens. Rosa Parks accomplished this heroic feat through the single act of refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Her single act of defiance and refusal to accept the status quo led to the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott and eventually to the desegregation of Montgomery, Alabama. However, Rosa Parks’ courageous act meant much more. It inspired a broader movement that struggled and pushed back against a Nation that had failed to keep its promise to all its citizens to promote equality, justice, and fairness under the laws. It paved the way for this Nation to hold unacceptable the injustices and disparate treatment experienced by many of its citizens. Rosa Parks’ courage helped restore to all citizens the dignity and respect that every person deserves.”
Rep. John Conyers explained that when he was first elected to Congress, “I said the first person I am going to bring into my congressional office is Rosa Parks, and she accepted. Never once have I ever heard her raise her voice in anger. Never once have I heard her speak negative or unkind remarks about anybody, this person, this modest woman of incredible determination who, by the way, brought Martin Luther King into Montgomery to help lead the Montgomery bus boycott, which was the start of his career as a civil rights leader. Yet this humble woman, quiet, dignified, always pleasantly composed, was able to bring forward this and other countless acts of civil disobedience, which resulted in us changing the way that America operates. It was Rosa Parks that did all this; and what I wanted to do was let Members know that she, by bringing Martin Luther King into this matter, was able to begin a civil rights movement much, much larger than the boycott itself.”
