III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 322 

Recognizing the 60th 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 60th 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; 

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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 

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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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

(1) recognizes and celebrates the 60th 2 anniver3 sary of the refusal of Rosa Louise Parks to give up 

4 her seat on a bus on December 1, 1955; 

5 (2) commemorates the legacy of Rosa Louise 

6 Parks to inspire all people of the United States to 

7 stand up for freedom and the principles of the Con8 stitution; and 

9 (3) endeavors to work with the same courage, 

10 dignity, and determination exemplified by a civil 

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1 rights pioneer, Rosa Louise Parks, to address mod2 ern inequalities and injustices. 

Æ 

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