HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 95-4627, by Representatives Valle, Hickel, Mason, Van Luven, Hatfield, Radcliff, Veloria, Sherstad, Sheldon, D. Schmidt, Skinner, Ballasiotes, Backlund, Sommers, Cooke, Tokuda, Regala, Chappell, Basich, Conway, Chopp, Cole, Scott, Costa, R. Fisher, Morris, Ebersole, Dyer, Lambert, Carlson, Cody, Robertson, Ogden, Poulsen and Smith

       WHEREAS, Rosa Lee Parks, a hard working, law abiding African-American woman, one day became tired of having to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus simply because of her color; and

       WHEREAS, Rosa Parks demonstrated extraordinary courage in refusing to give up her seat for a caucasian passenger on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama; and

       WHEREAS, Rosa Parks took a stand against segregation and provided the spark needed to light the fires of the civil rights movement across the United States; and

       WHEREAS, As a seamstress who also served from 1943 to 1956 as secretary of the Montgomery branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Rosa Parks holds out to all people a shining example of what one person can do to improve the lives of others and even the life of the nation; and

       WHEREAS, The Montgomery bus boycott, launched after Rosa Parks' arrest and led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a critical step in the awakening of the conscience of the nation and created an important opportunity for the emergence of Dr. King as one of the great moral leaders of the ages; and

       WHEREAS, Rosa Parks served for many years as an aide to Michigan Congressman John Conyers, Jr.; and

       WHEREAS, In 1987 Rosa Parks founded an institute dedicated to providing leadership and career training for young African-Americans; and

       WHEREAS, Rosa Parks has served the cause of justice and equality in countless ways both large and small, and once said she wanted to be remembered "as a person who wanted to be free and wanted others to be free";

       NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives, along with the people of the state of Washington, honor Rosa Lee Parks for her exemplary efforts in pursuit of this country's highest ideals, and recognize her outstanding achievements on behalf of all Americans; and

       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to Rosa Lee Parks and to the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

          I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

         Resolution 4627 adopted by the House of Representatives

                            February 20, 1995.

                     ________________________________

                      Timothy A. Martin, Chief Clerk