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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.
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