SR0054 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0054 LRB101 07903 MST 52958 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Rosa Louise Parks was born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, the first child of James and Leona (Edwards) McCauley; and

WHEREAS, Rosa McCauley married Raymond Parks on December 18, 1932; and

WHEREAS, Rosa Parks was a member of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP and was an active volunteer for the Montgomery Voters League; and

WHEREAS, Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, and her stand for equal rights became legendary; and

WHEREAS, The arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to comply with Montgomery's segregation law was the impetus for a boycott of Montgomery buses led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; approximately 42,000 African Americans participated in the boycott which lasted for 381 days; and

WHEREAS, On November 13, 1956, the United States Supreme Court ruled that Montgomery's segregation law was unconstitutional, and Montgomery officials were ordered to desegregate buses on December 20, 1956; and

WHEREAS, Rosa Parks is honored as the "Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement", because her refusal to surrender her seat in compliance with Montgomery's segregation law inspired the civil rights movement, which has resulted in the breakdown of numerous legal barriers and the lessening of profound discrimination against African Americans in this country; and

WHEREAS, The courage and conviction of Rosa Parks laid the foundation for equal rights for all Americans and for the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and

WHEREAS, Rosa Parks co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development in 1987 with Elaine Easton Steele to motivate and direct youth to achieve their highest potential through the Pathways to Freedom program; and

WHEREAS, Rosa Parks is the recipient of many awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, the highest honor Congress can bestow upon a civilian, and the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP's highest award; and

WHEREAS, Rosa Parks has dedicated her life to the cause of human rights and truly embodies the love of humanity and freedom; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare Monday, February 4, 2019 as "Rosa Parks Day" in the State of Illinois and urge all Illinoisans to pay homage to this great American Woman on the anniversary of her birth; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commemorate the legacy of Rosa Parks to inspire all people of Illinois and the nation to stand up for freedom and the principles of the Constitution.