111th Congress, 2nd Session
The honoring of civil rights icon Rosa Parks
October 30, 2005
On this date, civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks was honored in the U.S. Capitol. In 1955, Parks, an African-American seamstress, galvanized the U.S. civil rights movement by performing an act of civil disobedience in refusing to yield her seat to a white man and move to the back of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Shortly after her death, she became the first woman and the second black American to lie in honor in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. With bipartisan support, the resolution to honor the civil rights icon passed easily. Public viewings of the casket were held on October 30th and 31st. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, District of Columbia Mayor Anthony Williams, Members of the House and Senate, and the Parks family attended an October 31st memorial. Reminiscing about her life, Parks once remarked, “I am leaving this legacy to all of you . . . to bring peace, justice, equality, love and a fulfillment of what our lives should be. Without vision, the people will perish, and without courage and inspiration, dreams will die—the dream of freedom and peace.”
Related Highlight Subjects
Cite this Highlight
Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/highlights.html?action=view&intID=250, (December 03, 2010).For Additional Information
Office of History and Preservation(202) 226-1300
history@mail.house.gov
Subscribe to E-mail Updates
Sign up for monthly e-mail updates on House art and history.
In the 106th Congress (1999-2001), the U.S. Congress awarded civil rights icon Rosa Parks the Congressional Gold Medal.
Image courtesy of the United States Mint
Teaching Tip
Civil Rights Movement
Ask students to select three highlight dates which encompass civil rights. Have students explain the role of each date in the Civil Rights Movement.
