This Thursday, December 1st, President George W. Bush will sign into law legislation sponsored by Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. and Congressman Mike Rogers of Alabama placing a life-sized statue of Mrs. Rosa Parks in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.
The White House ceremony falls on the 50th anniversary of Mrs. Parks’ refusal to give-up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, which sparked the modern Civil Rights Movement.
Congressman Jackson said today, “Signing the bill into law on the 50th anniversary of Mrs. Parks’ quiet yet determined act of civil disobedience is the perfect way to observe the historic day. It is a fitting tribute to Mrs. Parks, who devoted her life before and after that fateful December day in 1955 to equality and justice. I hope that the White House ceremony will inspire us all to recommit ourselves to Mrs. Parks’ ideals.”
Congressman Jackson and Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, as well as The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, sent letters to The White House last week requesting the December 1st signing ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Rosa Parks statue bill, H.R. 4145, on November 18th. Senator Kerry sponsored matching legislation, then joined Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky in spearheading the Senate’s passage of the measure on the same day. The legislation passed the House and Senate with significant bipartisan support.
