November 16, 2005
Mrs. President: I thank my colleague from Montana.

Let me begin, Mr. President, by commending my colleague from Kentucky. I am pleased to be the lead sponsor with him on this resolution and he rightly points out that there are a number of colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have been very supportive of this effort. In fact, I think we might leave this open this evening so that others who wish to be cosponsors may do so before this evening is complete.

I want to particularly thank, in this Chamber this evening, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts who was very interested in this issue and announced his strong support early on of recognizing Rosa Parks. I also want to thank Representative Jesse Jackson of the House and others on the House side who are also interested in this issue. The House sponsors have taken a different approach to authorizing a statue of Rosa Parks, but that bill has not yet been brought before the House for debate. The action we take today is one way that we can guarantee that Congress can authorize, and immediately have funds to pay for, the commissioning of this statue. I strongly support the efforts of my colleague, Senator McConnell, toexpedite this legislation.

I was honored to attend the funeral services here in Washington, D.C. for Mrs. Parks. The words spoken that day by numerous people were far more eloquent than anything I could add at this particular juncture. But I was struck by the fact that this woman, who refused to give up her seat, who caused a nation to stand up and take note, was physically a rather diminutive, quiet individual who had a long interest in civil rights. Her non-violent act of defiance was not just a coincidental act. She had been involved in the civil rights movements and had worked with the NAACP and other organizations for sometime.

But as the Senator from Kentucky points out, on that particular day, she was just not going to tolerate any longer a behavior that was so repugnant to the founding principles of this democracy - that was a denial of everything we stood for as a nation. With full recognition of the consequences, her course of action precipitated a year-long boycott in Birmingham of the public bus system. And that was a great sacrifice for the people of the city at that time. To sustain that effort for over a year is really quite a remarkable and significant effort.

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, non-violent act, she changed the course of human history.

This is a long journey. It has been a painful one for many but because of people like Rosa Parks, we are getting closer to our founders' goal of a perfect union. And that is why it is not only important to preserve and honor her legacy for future generations, but to hold her up an example of what can be achieved when we challenge ourselves to do better. 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.

Nelson Mandela once called her "the David who challenged Goliath." People of nations across this globe owe a debt of gratitude to this remarkable woman for her courage that day, for her determination, and for the inspiration she has provided. Now, when visitors come to the Capitol, they, too, can be inspired by this heroic American whose courageous act sparked the flame of liberty and equality for African Americans and minority groups in this country and around the world.

Oprah Winfrey spoke at the funeral services about what it meant to her as a young black woman to hear about Rosa Parks and what she had done. By honoring Rosa Parks with a statue, placed in the most public places of honor in the Capitol, we will have a living symbol of that hope that Rosa Parks brought to millions of young black children 50 years ago. And so generations of children can pass by her statue and be inspired by her story and courage and identify with her greatness.

We honored Rosa Parks by allowing her remains to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. I was priveleged to have been a part of that most appropriate effort. It was an unprecedented event and the first time that a woman had been so recognized. There have been others who have been so honored because of their service as president, or as a general or distinguished military officer, or some connection to the Congress, but only once before had we honored a private citizen. To recognize this extraordinary lady, was a noble act and a proud achievement of the leadership of this Congress. Both Democrats and Republicans took time to honor this symbol of freedom by paying their last respects to her in the most public of places, the Capitol Rotunda. And the American people were invited in to share in her struggles and triumphs and pay their respect to this great American, too.

The statue of Rosa Parks will be placed in a very hallowed location in the Capitol. The site has not yet been established, but it may be that location will be in the National Statuary Hall. This resolution authorizes, and indeed requires, that the Joint Committee on the Library consider that option. But it must be in a prominent place where the public can be inspired by her, where Congress and staff can be reminded of her act of courage and her challenge to our leaders to do better. And each of us will be reminded of the opportunities in our lives to make a difference. Maybe not with the same dramatic results as Rosa Parks achieved with her act, but every single citizen of this country will know that he or she has an opportunity to make a difference, in a moment of challenge, to rise and to be courageous, to stand up for what is right.

It is a wonderful lesson for the younger generation to be reminded that one person can make a difference. I often cite individuals who have made a difference, such as the mother who lost a child as a result of a drunk driver and went on to found an organization in her basement called Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or Lech Walesa, or now Rosa Parks.

Rosa Parks caused this nation to take note of what it needed to do to end the scourge of segregation. She is not just a national hero, she is the embodiment of our social and human conscience. It is an appropriate and fitting thing that we do here today. I am proud to be a part of it and I hope that generations to come for many, many years will walk past the statue of Rosa Parks in our nation's Capitol and make a quiet determination to find a moment when they may be as courageous and as noble as this wonderful woman.

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