The Speaker, on behalf of the entire membership of the House of Representatives, offered the following resolution:

House Resolution No. 144.

            A resolution honoring the life of Rosa Parks, who contributed to the betterment of the nation and all humanity.  

            Whereas, It is with a strong sense of reverence and admiration for her commitment to human equality and civil rights on behalf of all people, we honor today the life and work of Rosa Parks; and

            Whereas, Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913. She married civil rights activist Raymond Parks in 1932, and became active in the American Civil Rights Movement in 1943, becoming secretary of the Montgomery, Alabama National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and

            Whereas, Rosa Parks gained national recognition when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus to a white man and was arrested, spurring a 381-day boycott by African Americans of the Montgomery bus system; and

            Whereas, Rosa Parks became an inspiration to others as the mother of the civil rights movement when her 1956 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case ruled that segregated bus service was unconstitutional, henceforth affecting all segregationist laws; and,

            Whereas, Rosa Parks continued her service to society in Detroit, Michigan, where she worked in the office of U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr., as a legislative aide from 1965 to 1988.  She lived in Detroit, Michigan from 1957 until her death on October 24, 2005; and,

Whereas, Rosa Parks, for her unparalleled pursuit of justice and equality for humanity was awarded the NAACP’s highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, in 1979.  In 1980, she was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr., Nonviolent Peace Prize.  In recognition for her civil rights achievements, Rosa Parks was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 1983.  She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999; and

            Whereas, For her tireless service to the welfare and benefit of all people throughout her life; now, therefore be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body honor the life and work of Rosa Parks.  May God grant us the willingness to share the message and work of this great woman for the sanctity of humanity, to work to better the lives of all our brothers and sisters, and to stand up for what we know to be right; and, be it further

            Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to her family and institution as a token of our esteem and respect.