Rosa Parks Federal Building

ROSA PARKS FEDERAL BUILDING -- (House of Representatives - November 02, 2005)

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Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1285, a bill to designate a Federal building in Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building'' and to designate the annex of the Prettyman Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C., as the ``William B. Bryant Annex''.

Rosa Parks is known as the ``mother of the civil rights movement''. With one single act of defiance--when she refused to give up her seat on the Cleveland Avenue bus in Montgomery, Alabama--she galvanized a Nation and changed the course of history. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Parks was sitting in the middle row of the bus with three other black riders. The bus driver demanded that all four give up their seats so that a single white man could sit. Three of the riders complied. Mrs. Parks remained seated.

It is important to keep in mind that what is often remembered as a quiet act of civil disobedience took tremendous personal courage. Blacks at that time had been arrested, and even beaten or killed, for refusing to follow the orders of bus drivers. Rosa Parks was arrested, jailed, and fined $14.

As Mrs. Parks herself has said in the years following that pivotal moment, she hadn't planned on taking a stand that day. She hadn't planned on becoming the face of the injustices of segregation. She had simply had enough. She was tired of being treated like a second-class citizen. She had had enough.

Mrs. Parks' act of courage sparked the civil rights movement. A boycott of the public buses was organized for Monday, December 5, the day of Mrs. Parks' trial. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., then a young preacher who was only 26 years old, organized the boycott. The boycott lasted 381 days, ending only after the Supreme Court outlawed segregation on buses. It captured the attention of the Nation and forced people to confront the inequalities that were then commonplace. The civil rights movement ultimately led to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned racial discrimination in public accommodations, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Rosa Parks is an American icon. By refusing to give up her seat on that Montgomery bus, she changed the course of history. This honor is long overdue.

Mr. Speaker, Rosa Parks was 92 when she died. Her funeral was today. I'm only sorry that we could not have passed this bill while Mrs. Parks was still alive.

Although she suffered from dementia in her later years, I believe that she would have understood and appreciated such recognition from the United States Congress.

The strength and presence of a Federal building perfectly captures the character and personality of this icon of the civil rights movement. It is fitting and just that her life and public accomplishments are acknowledged with this designation.

Mr. Speaker, I also support the provision of this bill to designate the annex to the Prettyman Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C., as the ``William B. Bryant Annex''. I thank the Gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. NORTON), Ranking Democratic Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, for her steadfastness and support for naming the annex for Judge Bryant. In the last Congress, Ms. NORTON was instrumental in House consideration of H.R. 4294, a bill to name the annex for Judge Bryant. Unfortunately, the Senate did not consider the bill. In this Congress, Ms. NORTON introduced H.R. 1015 to continue her effort to honor this distinguished jurist.

Judge Bryant is 94 years old, and is legendary in District legal circles. He practiced law in the 1940's and 1950's when the city was segregated. He could not join the D.C. Bar Association or use its facilities. Yet, he has achieved great stature as a trial lawyer and enjoys an enviable reputation.

Judge Bryant is a lifelong D.C. resident who attended D.C. public schools and Howard University Law School, where he graduated first in his class. He began his legal career in private practice in the District with the legendary African American law firm of Houston, Bryant and Gardner. In 1965, he was nominated by President Johnson to the federal bench and confirmed by the Senate later that year. Judge Bryant is the first African American to hold the post of Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

During his long, productive legal career Judge Bryant also served as the first African American Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and taught at Howard University Law School.

The judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia unanimously agreed to name the annex in honor of Judge Bryant and approached Congresswoman NORTON and Senator JOHN WARNER for their help. For the past several years, Ms. NORTON and Senator WARNER have worked to overcome Senate objections to naming the annex in honor of Judge Bryant because he continues to serve in active, senior status.

It is an extraordinary testament to Rosa Parks that, even in her death, her work is not done. The bill to honor her became the unstoppable legislative vehicle to ensure that Judge Bryant, this extraordinary African American jurist, be honored with this designation while he is still living.

I strongly support S. 1285 and urge my colleagues to join me in honoring these legendary American heroes.

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