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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 144 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 144

  Recognizing and celebrating the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Baton 
                           Rouge Bus Boycott.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 21, 2023

 Mr. Carter of Louisiana submitted the following resolution; which was 
  referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
    Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Recognizing and celebrating the 70th anniversary of the 1953 Baton 
                           Rouge Bus Boycott.

Whereas, in 1950, the Baton Rouge city council revoked the licenses of nearly 40 
        Black-owned bus services, which transported residents to and from Black 
        neighborhoods, jobs, and businesses within the city;
Whereas the bus companies pledged to provide full and fair services to all 
        riders, but the realities of segregation would make that pledge nearly 
        impossible to keep;
Whereas racial segregation was a pervading and inherent part of life in the 
        South, and the city buses in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were a microcosm of 
        the segregated society of the South;
Whereas, in 1953, the Black residents of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, took a 
        courageous first step and staged the Nation's first large-scale bus 
        boycott, challenging segregation;
Whereas, during this time, Black bus passengers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were 
        required to sit in the rear of the bus, to give up seats to White 
        passengers, and, after paying their fare at the front of the bus, to 
        exit and reenter the bus through the back door;
Whereas, during this time, 70 percent of the Baton Rouge bus companies' business 
        came from Black passengers;
Whereas, during this time, Black residents in Baton Rouge knew that protesting 
        their unequal treatment could cause them to become victims of economic 
        boycotts, violence, or other forms of intentional misconduct;
Whereas Martha White and other Black bus passengers were told to get up on a 
        crowded bus by a White bus driver;
Whereas every Black passenger on the bus that day stuck together and refused to 
        get off the bus;
Whereas the police were called to arrest the Black bus passengers, causing a 
        walk out and a 4-day strike on local bus services;
Whereas Black church and civic leaders from all over Baton Rouge came together 
        to form the United Defense League, with Rev. T.J. Jemison as president;
Whereas the United Defense League decided that nobody was going to ride the bus 
        the next morning, prompting Black residents across Baton Rouge to 
        carpool with each other;
Whereas this action cost bus companies $1,600 a day with no Black passengers due 
        to the boycott and ceased bus operations across the city;
Whereas the boycott's success reached far beyond the Baton Rouge city limits and 
        gave Black people across the Nation inspiration and hope, setting the 
        tone for the civil rights movement;
Whereas the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott represents the first large-scale, extended 
        effort by Black people to successfully challenge discrimination and 
        segregation; and
Whereas, in 1956, 3 years after the Baton Rouge bus strike, the Supreme Court 
        outlawed racial segregation on buses: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes and celebrates the 70th anniversary of the 
        1953 Baton Rouge Bus Boycott, to provide an opportunity for the 
        people of the United States to learn more about the past and to 
        better understand the experiences that have shaped the Nation;
            (2) recognizes the historical significance of this 
        milestone of the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott;
            (3) reaffirms its commitment that history should be 
        regarded as a means for understanding the past and solving the 
        challenges of the future; and
            (4) expresses support for the Secretary of the Interior to 
        explore how to provide appropriate markings to identify places 
        associated with the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott.
                                 <all>
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