Congressman Conyers blogs: Rosa Parks, 1913-2005

[hiley]

by Congressman Conyers

ROSA PARKS, 1913-2005

Rosa Parks was a true giant of the civil rights movement. I got to know her quite well when she moved to Detroit after her heroic actions in Montgomery, and to this day I believe that her support of me in the primary in the 1964 election made the difference in my being elected to Congress. After my election, the very first person I asked to join me in the Congressional office was Rosa Parks. Fortunately, she accepted my offer, and we worked together for more than 20 years, and have remained close friends ever since.

There are very few people who can say their actions and conduct changed the face of the nation, and Rosa Parks is one of those individuals. Her bravery, fortitude and perseverence in the face of discrimination served as the very touchstone of the civil rights movement, which in a very real sense began when she refused to give up her seat on the bus. In my judgment, she ranks with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela in the pantheon of civil rights leaders.

I am considering a number of actions that could serve as a fitting commemoration of her - from requesting that she lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, to a Memorial Service at the National Cathedral in Washington, to holding a special order on the House Floor tomorrow, to special legislation and stamps to commemorate her and her achievements, to a special commemoration on December 1, the 50th anniversary of her refusal to give up her bus seat. I am also encouraging donations to her scholarship foundation, via this link. I would very much welcome your ideas and thoughts about these and other ways we can honor Rosa's legacy.

I have spent much of the day doing interviews discussing Rosa and her achievements, see the following articles and audio links.

Mitch Albom Show (Audio)
http://johnconyers.com/vertical/Sites/%7BEF00C507-612C-4BA3-84C0-446C97F7E413%7D/uploads/%7B6725FAFA-0413-4E28-A129-F24AD8FEE5EB%7D.MP3

CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/25/parks.reax/

Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/24/AR2005102402053_pf.html

Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/2005/specialreport/0510/25/A08-360122.htm

Everyone in this country owes a debt of gratitude to Rosa Parks. I am proud to have known her and to have had the opportunity to have worked by her side. Her spirit and legacy will live forever.

http://www.conyersblog.us/archives/00000285.htm#comments

http://www.rosaparks.org/

http://johnconyers.com/vertical/Sites/%7BEF00C507-612C-4BA3-84C0-446C97F7E413%7D/uploads/%7B6725FAFA-0413-4E28-A129-F24AD8FEE5EB%7D.MP3

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/25/parks.reax/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/24/AR2005102402053_pf.html

http://www.detnews.com/2005/specialreport/0510/25/A08-360122.htm


Edit to say this morning Congressman John Conyers was on Democracy Now! Here are the links.

TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!:
* Rosa Parks 1913-2005: We Air A Rare 1956 Interview With Parks During the Montgomery Bus Boycott *
Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks has died at the age of 92. It was 50
Years ago this December that she refused to relinquish her seat to a white man aboard a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her act of resistance led to a 13-month boycott of the Montgomery bus system that would spark the civil rights movement. We go back to 1956 to air a rare interview aired on KPFA with Parks.
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/25/1412239
* John Conyers On Rosa Parks: ³She Earned the Title as Mother of the
Civil Rights Movement.²
We speak with Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), who worked with Parks for Over a decade. Conyers remembers Parks¹ life and speaks about the possibility of a state funeral and a national ³Rosa Parks day.²
Listen/Watch/Read
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/25/1421234

[chelsea0011]

1. Did Bush make any comments about this great American today?

Or is he waiting for another Saudi leader or chief justice to drop dead before racing to a mike within hours?

[hiley]

2. I heard Randi Rhodes saying something

about Bush did not even pronounce her name right.
Have to check into it though because I was in the other room and did not hear all of it.
Edit to say I have not found a thread saying anything about it, so I can't swear it. Maybe, someone will post an answer for you.

[hiley]

3. Mike Malloy is getting ready to talk about Bush -

subject Rosa Parks..
Yes, the moron said Rosa Park!

[Wilms]

4. Thanks for that, Hiley. eom