IV 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 54 
Observing the 100th birthday of civil rights icon Rosa Parks and 
commemorating her legacy. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 5, 2013 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mrs. ROBY, Mr. DELANEY, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, 
Mr. PETERS of Michigan, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. CAMP, Mr. CLAY, Mr. 
BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. 
CLARKE, Mr. COHEN, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. 
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. 
BROWN of Florida, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. AL 
GREEN of Texas, Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. EDWARDS, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. CHU, 
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. FATTAH, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Ms. MOORE, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. RUSH, Mr. WATT, Mr. JOHN-
SON of Georgia, Mr. VELA, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. RUIZ, and Mr. BONNER) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Observing the 100th birthday of civil rights icon Rosa Parks 
and commemorating her legacy. 
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 Parks dedicated her life to the cause of uni-
versal human rights and truly embodied the love of hu-
manity and freedom; 
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Whereas Rosa Parks 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; 
Whereas news of the arrest of Rosa Parks resulted in ap-
proximately 42,000 African-Americans boycotting Mont-
gomery buses for 381 days, beginning on December 5, 
1955, until the bus segregation law was changed on De-
cember 21, 1956; 
Whereas the United States Supreme Court ruled on Novem-
ber 13, 1956, that the Montgomery segregation law was 
unconstitutional, and on December 20, 1956, Mont-
gomery officials were ordered to desegregate buses; 
Whereas the civil rights movement led to the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964 (Public Law 88–352; 78 Stat. 241), which broke 
down the barrier of legal discrimination against African- 
Americans and made equality before the law a reality for 
all people of the United States; 
Whereas Congress recognized on November 18, 2005, that 
most historians date the beginning of the modern civil 
rights movement with Rosa Parks’ act of civil disobe-
dience (H. Con. Res. 208); 
Whereas 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; 
Whereas, in 1987, Rosa Parks and her close associate Elaine 
Steele cofounded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute 
for Self Development to motivate and direct youth to 
achieve their highest potential through Rosa Parks’ phi-
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losophy of ‘‘quiet strength’’ and cross-cultural exposure 
for nurturing a global and inclusive perspective; 
Whereas Rosa Parks was the recipient of many awards and 
accolades for her efforts on behalf of racial harmony, in-
cluding the Congressional Gold Medal, the Spingarn 
Award, which is the highest honor of the National Asso-
ciation for the Advancement of Colored People for civil 
rights contributions, and the Presidential Medal of Free-
dom, which is the highest civilian honor in the United 
States, and was named one of the 20 most influential 
and iconic figures of the 20th century; 
Whereas Rosa Parks, by her quiet courage, symbolizes all 
that is vital about nonviolent protest, as she endured 
threats of death and persisted as an advocate for the sim-
ple, basic lessons she taught the Nation and from which 
the Nation has benefitted immeasurably; 
Whereas Rosa Parks and her husband Raymond Parks 
moved to Michigan in 1957 and she resided there until 
her death on October 24, 2005; 
Whereas, 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; 
Whereas, in November 2005, Congress authorized the Joint 
Committee on the Library to procure a statue of Rosa 
Parks to be placed in the Capitol; 
Whereas 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; 
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Whereas the bus on which Rosa Parks sparked a new era in 
the American quest for freedom and equality is one of the 
most significant artifacts of the American civil rights 
movement and is on permanent display in the Henry 
Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan; 
Whereas, on February 4, 2013, the Henry Ford Museum, will 
commemorate the 100th birthday of Rosa Parks by call-
ing for a National Day of Courage and sponsoring a pro-
gram that highlights her contributions to the civil rights 
movement, including a day-long celebration, with both 
virtual and on-site activities featuring nationally recog-
nized speakers, musical and dramatic interpretative per-
formances, a panel presentation of ‘‘Rosa’s Story’’ and a 
reading of the tale ‘‘Quiet Strength’’, featuring the actual 
bus on which she sat as the centerpiece in commemo-
rating her extraordinary life and accomplishments, and 
affording everyone the opportunity to board the bus and 
sit in the seat that she refused to give up; and 
Whereas the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University and the 
Mobile Studio will commemorate the birthday of Rosa 
Parks with the 100th Birthday Wishes Project, culmi-
nating on February 4, 2013, with a 100th birthday cele-
bration at the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts in 
Montgomery, Alabama, where 2,000 birthday wishes sub-
mitted by individuals throughout the United States will 
be transformed into 200 graphic messages: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes and celebrates the 100th birth-
day of civil rights icon Rosa Parks; and 
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(2) 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. 
Æ 
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