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Senate Recognizes Rosa Parks on 100th Anniversary of Her Birth

On December 19, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 618) observing Rosa Parks’ 100th birthday and commemorating her civil rights legacy.

The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), contains several findings, including:

  • Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama;
  • Rosa Parks dedicated her life to the cause of universal human rights and truly embodied the love of humanity and freedom;
  • She was arrested on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, and her stand for equal rights became legendary;
  • 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;
  • 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;
  • In 1987, Rosa Parks and her close associate Elaine Steele co-founded 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;
  • 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;
  • In November 2005, Congress authorized the Joint Committee on the Library to procure a statue of Rosa Parks to be placed in the Capitol; and
  • 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.

The resolution “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.”