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Recognizing 50th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Date: Dec. 6, 2005
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Arts, Entertainment, and History


RECOGNIZING 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT -- (House of Representatives - December 06, 2005)

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 273.

As we all know, it was 50 years ago last week that the Montgomery bus boycott had its humble beginnings in Montgomery, Alabama.

On that first day of December 1955, a quiet seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the city bus. In doing so, she broke the law. But that did not stop Rosa Parks from doing what she knew was right that day. She remained in her seat even as police came to arrest her.

Her quiet protest, which was nothing short of a challenge to the status quo, led to the event which started the Montgomery bus boycott.

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply honored by the House's attention to these events today, and I am pleased to have another chance to honor one of Alabama's great civil rights leader, a woman whose recent passing has caused us all to mourn.

But this resolution also helps honor those who, along with Rosa Parks, helped make the Montgomery bus boycott a success. Leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for example, ultimately helped provide the leadership necessary for the boycott to continue.

Countless other Alabamians, as well as Americans from across the country, also came to help with this effort; and they continued with their protest until the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in their favor in 1956.

Mr. Speaker, we all have much to learn from the events of 1955 and 1956. I was in Montgomery last week and toured the parsonage where Dr. King helped coordinate many of the boycott's initiatives. It is my hope that this resolution will help pay tribute to those events. It is also my hope that this resolution will honor all those who participated in the boycott and provide our Nation another opportunity to learn from its past.

I appreciate the strong support for this resolution here in the House and thank my colleagues from Alabama in particular for their support. Rosa Parks may not be with us today to witness this resolution, but I am comforted in knowing her legacy and that all of those who helped make the boycott a success will live on for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask the House's continued support for this resolution.

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