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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 322 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 322

         Recognizing the 60\th\ anniversary of the refusal of 
  Rosa Louise Parks to give up her seat on a bus on December 1, 1955.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 30, 2015

 Ms. Stabenow (for herself, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Peters, Mr. Shelby, Mr. 
Leahy, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Markey, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Franken, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
Warner, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Reid, Mr. Cochran, and Mr. Sasse) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
         Recognizing the 60\th\ anniversary of the refusal of 
  Rosa Louise Parks to give up her seat on a bus on December 1, 1955.

Whereas many historians date the beginning of the modern civil rights movement 
        in the United States as December 1, 1955;
Whereas Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, 
        Alabama, the first child of James and Leona (Edwards) McCauley;
Whereas Rosa Louise Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, 
        Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a Caucasian man, 
        and her stand for equal rights became legendary;
Whereas news of the arrest of Rosa Louise 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;
Whereas the United States Supreme Court ruled on November 13, 1956, that the 
        Montgomery segregation law was unconstitutional, and on December 20, 
        1956, Montgomery officials were ordered to desegregate buses;
Whereas the civil rights movement led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which 
        broke down the barrier of legal discrimination against African-
        Americans;
Whereas Rosa Louise 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;
Whereas Rosa Louise Parks was the recipient of many awards and accolades for her 
        efforts on behalf of racial harmony, including--

    (1) the Congressional Gold Medal;

    (2) the Spingarn Award, which is the highest honor of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People for civil rights 
contributions; and

    (3) the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian 
honor in the United States;

Whereas Rosa Louise Parks was named 1 of the 20 most influential and iconic 
        figures of the 20th century;
Whereas Rosa Louise Parks sparked 1 of the largest movements in the United 
        States against racial segregation, and by her quiet courage symbolizes 
        all that is vital about nonviolent protest because of the way she 
        endured threats of death and persisted as an advocate for the basic 
        lessons she taught the people of the United States;
Whereas Rosa Louise Parks and her husband Raymond Parks relocated to Michigan in 
        1957, and remained in Michigan until the death of Rosa Louise Parks on 
        October 24, 2005;
Whereas, in November 2005, Congress authorized the Joint Committee on the 
        Library to procure a statue of Rosa Louise Parks to be placed in the 
        Capitol; and
Whereas the bus on which Rosa Louise Parks sparked a new era in the quest for 
        freedom and equality in the United States is--

    (1) 1 of the most significant artifacts of the civil rights movement in 
the United States; and

    (2) on permanent display in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, 
Michigan: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes and celebrates the 60\th\ anniversary of the 
        refusal of Rosa Louise Parks to give up her seat on a bus on 
        December 1, 1955;
            (2) commemorates the legacy of Rosa Louise Parks to inspire 
        all people of the United States to stand up for freedom and the 
        principles of the Constitution; and
            (3) endeavors to work with the same courage, dignity, and 
        determination exemplified by a civil rights pioneer, Rosa 
        Louise Parks, to address modern inequalities and injustices.
                                 <all>
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