On November 18, the House approved, by unanimous consent, a bill (H.R. 4145) that would direct the architect of the Capitol to place the statue of Rosa Parks in National Statuary Hall. The Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent later the same day. It will now go to the White House to be signed into law by President Bush. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) sponsored the measure.
Rep. Robert Ney (R-OH) explained that “in 1999, the United States Congress first honored Mrs. Parks in the Rotunda of the Capitol by awarding her with the Congressional Gold Medal, our Nation’s highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions. Just two weeks ago, the United States Congress honored Mrs. Parks in the Rotunda again by allowing the Nation to pay its final respects to this great and unique American by allowing her remains to lie in honor in the Rotunda. The United States Congress should eternally recognize the significant contribution she made in advancing civil and human rights in this country.”
Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) said that Rosa Parks “was a great woman who simply sat down in order for us to stand up here today. I believe that it is only fitting that we honor this great American by placing a life-sized statue of her in the U.S. Capitol for all to see. I urge my colleagues to bestow upon Rosa Louise Parks this honor and include among the collection of statues here in the Capitol the very first statue of an African American woman…Once this bill has been passed by Congress and has been signed into law, I look forward to my role as a member of the Joint Committee on the Library in overseeing the commissioning of the statue. It will be an honor for me to be part of this effort to further pay tribute and honor to this heroine of mine.”
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) stated, “Largely regarded as the mother of the modern Civil Rights movement, Mrs. Parks’ act of courage on December 1, 1955, inspired a movement that eventually brought about laws to end segregation, ensure voting rights, end discrimination in housing, and create a greater equality throughout this nation. Moreover, it taught us all that one individual can help to change the world from the way things are to the way things ought to be. With the passage of this legislation, we ensure that her memory is enshrined in the most hallowed halls of our Government.”
On November 16, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Con. Res. 62) that would allow for the placement of a statue of Rosa Parks in the U.S. Capitol, but would not specify an exact location. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sponsored the resolution.
Sen. McConnell said that Rosa Parks “did not set out to become a hero on the evening of December 1, 1955. She was, like millions of other Americans, merely on her way home after a long day’s work. She was a seamstress in Montgomery, AL. But her simple, profound act of civil disobedience was the spark that ignited the modern civil rights movement.” He went on to explain that “with the passage of S. Con. Res. 62, the Senate has directed the Joint Committee on the Library to commission a statue of Ms. Parks and place it here in the Nation’s Capitol, so that Americans who visit this place 100 years from now can see it, and reflect on how one woman’s courage altered a nation.”
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) added, “It all began on that day some 50 years ago when this wonderful American lady, on her own, decided to take an action that would awaken the interest and collective conscience of a country to recognize, and acknowledge, the great scar of segregation that still existed in some parts of our Nation. And we realize that we have perhaps not yet reached that perfect union that our Founders intended and that each generation of Americans must be newly challenged to achieve it. Rosa Parks was that challenge for her generation and by her solitary, nonviolent act, she changed the course of human history…She is an example to those oppressed in nations around the world that one person, in standing up for what is just and right, can make a difference.”
