Bill Text: IL SR0054 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Declares February 4, 2019 as "Rosa Parks Day" in the State of Illinois.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-07 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Mattie Hunter [SR0054 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-SR0054-Introduced.html
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| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, Rosa Louise Parks was born on February 4, 1913 in | ||||||
| 3 | Tuskegee,
Alabama, the first child of James and Leona (Edwards) | ||||||
| 4 | McCauley; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, Rosa McCauley married Raymond Parks on December
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| 6 | 18, 1932; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Rosa Parks was a member of the Montgomery
chapter | ||||||
| 8 | of the NAACP and was an active volunteer for the Montgomery
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| 9 | Voters League; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 in | ||||||
| 11 | Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give up her seat on a bus | ||||||
| 12 | to a
white man, and her stand for equal rights became | ||||||
| 13 | legendary; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, The arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to comply | ||||||
| 15 | with Montgomery's segregation law was
the impetus for a boycott | ||||||
| 16 | of Montgomery buses
led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; | ||||||
| 17 | approximately 42,000 African
Americans participated in the | ||||||
| 18 | boycott which lasted for 381 days; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, On November 13, 1956, the United States Supreme | ||||||
| 20 | Court
ruled that Montgomery's segregation law was | ||||||
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| 1 | unconstitutional, and Montgomery officials were ordered to | ||||||
| 2 | desegregate
buses on December 20, 1956; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Rosa Parks is honored as the "Mother of the Modern | ||||||
| 4 | Day
Civil Rights Movement", because her refusal to surrender | ||||||
| 5 | her seat in
compliance with Montgomery's segregation law | ||||||
| 6 | inspired the civil
rights movement, which has resulted in the | ||||||
| 7 | breakdown of numerous
legal barriers and the lessening of | ||||||
| 8 | profound discrimination against
African Americans in this | ||||||
| 9 | country; and
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| 10 | WHEREAS, The courage and conviction of Rosa Parks laid the
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| 11 | foundation for equal rights for all Americans and for the Civil
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| 12 | Rights Act of 1964; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, Rosa Parks co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks | ||||||
| 14 | Institute
for Self Development in 1987 with Elaine Easton | ||||||
| 15 | Steele to motivate
and direct youth to achieve their highest | ||||||
| 16 | potential through the
Pathways to Freedom program; and
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| 17 | WHEREAS, Rosa Parks is the recipient of many awards | ||||||
| 18 | including the
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's | ||||||
| 19 | highest civilian honor,
the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, | ||||||
| 20 | the highest honor Congress can
bestow upon a civilian, and the | ||||||
| 21 | Spingarn Medal, the NAACP's highest award; and
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Rosa Parks has dedicated her life to the cause of | ||||||
| 2 | human
rights and truly embodies the love of humanity and | ||||||
| 3 | freedom; therefore, be it
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| 4 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | ||||||
| 5 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare Monday, | ||||||
| 6 | February 4, 2019 as "Rosa
Parks Day" in the State of Illinois | ||||||
| 7 | and urge all Illinoisans to pay homage to this great American | ||||||
| 8 | Woman on the anniversary of her birth; and be it further
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| 9 | RESOLVED, That we commemorate the legacy of Rosa Parks to | ||||||
| 10 | inspire all people of Illinois and
the nation to stand up for | ||||||
| 11 | freedom and the principles of the Constitution.
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