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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2006)
J an u ary 1 1 ,2 0 0 6 IVI AKIIN LUTHER k i n g J K .aiu’ K o s a H a r k s 2 0 0 6 s zj z* I Page B17 Growing up with Segregation: "Back in Montgomery during mv growing up there, it was completely legally enforced racial segregation, and o f course, I struggled against it fo r a long time. 1 felt that it was not right to be deprived o f freedom when vie were living in the Home of the Brave and Land o f the Free. O f course, when / refused to stand up, on the orders o f the bus driver, fo r a white passenger to take the seat, and I was not sitting in the front o f the bus, as many people have said, and neither was my feet hurting, as many people have said. But I made up my mind that I would not give in any longer to legally-imposed racial segregation and o f course my arrest brought about the protests fo r more than a year. And in doing so, Dr. Martin Luther King became prominent because he was the leader o f our protests along with many other people. And I'm very glad that this experience I had then brought about a movement that triggered across the United States and in other places. ” - Rosa Parks , C harism atic leader. Passionate activist. Extraordinary hum anitarian. Inspirational teacher. Everyday man. It is amazing what one can become w ith a dream. Capitol to Erect Rosa Parks Statue presenceofsuchcivil rights lead the United Sta’es. With my ers as John Lewis, Jim Clybum colleague Congressm an Jesse and Eleanor Holmes Norton. Jackson Jr. leading the charge, By straining, struggling, and this bill passed unanimously striving, Rosa Parks helped cre through the House and the ate a country in which the color Senate, and was signed into of ones skin does not determine law by the President on Dec. by U.S. R ep . N ancy P elosi where one sits: on a bus, at a 1. I am proud that Rosa Parks On that day lunch counter, or on the floor of will return to the Capitol. So 50 years ago the H ouse o f many young people will learn when Rosa Representatives. The legacy of about her life and she will be a Parks took her rightful place at the front of the bus, she knew that by sitting down she was standing up for us all. She didn’t think that with that act she would make history. Her purpose was to make progress. In the simple act of refusing to be refused, she did. After Rosa Parks’ death last October, she again made his tory when tens of thousands of people filed up the steps of the C apitol to pay th eir final tribute. For the first woman in Rosa Parks was considered the mother o f the modern Civil history to lie in honor, the Capi Rights movement. tol was kept open all night. For a woman who was denied a seat at the front of the bus, people stood in line for hours to wait and pay their respects. To Rosa Parks, the Capitol, and the American people opened their Rosa Parks is in Montgomery, it model to them. arms. is in Detroit, and I am proud to The Rev. Martin Luther King In Congress we are blessed say, it is in the hallsof the United Jr. said, o f that day in Montgom by the legacy of her vision. When States Capitol. ery, Rosa Parks sat anchored to Rosa Parks ignited the Mont That is why, in tribute to her seat, “by the accumulated gomery Bus Boycott, there were Rosa Parks’s vision and last indignities of days gone by, and only three African American ing impact on the history of the countless aspirations of gen members of Congress. Today ourcountry, I pledged to those erations yet unborn.” there are 42. The Congressional at her funeral in Detroit that As we celebrate and remem- Black Caucus is the conscience there would be a statue of on page R20 of America, blessed with the Rosa Parks in the Capitol of continued Decision by Congress unanimous In Congress we are blessed by the legacy o f her vision. Rosa Parks returned to Montgomery, Ala. in 1995, commemorating the historical boycott with children and other dignitaries 40 years later. The anniversary celebration included a tribute to Parks and a candlelight march. Coretta Scott King, widow o f the late Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., joined Parks for the five-day event. The sons o f three men who led the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King III, Ralph David Abernathy III and Jesse Jackson Jr., were also present. JOIN THE TRAIL BLAZERS IN HONORING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. S In 1879, a black man set a marathon record, n the late 19th century, when it was common practice for gamblers to bribe or threaten Black athletes into purposely losing events. Frank Hart flatly refused to be a pawn for their profit. By 18/9, Hart made sports history in a 6-day marathon event held at Madison Square Garden. At the end of the race, as Hart crossed the finish line, the huge crowd rose to give him a standing ovation. Never before, in any sporting event, had a Black athlete been awarded so much prize money or been received with such a warm welcome by fans both black and white, alike. Frank Hart, the unsung hero of marathon champions, is a true Black Jewel in sports history. A/rwncan Family M utual Inaurane© Com pany and it» Subsidian©» Hom# Ofbc# MiMeon IV/ 5.J7ÄJ www amfarn com 003777540-f t * » M your protnctKVi under o n e ro o f 1
