Rosa Parks Statue Will Be Displayed In U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall

Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 1:49PM
Staff in News/Commentary, Rosa Park, chingyu Wang, democrats, rosa park institute

By Chingyu Wang- Talk Radio News Service

A statue of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks will soon find a home in the U.S. Capitol's statuary hall.

"The Rosa Parks statue will be a fitting tribute to the American hero inside the most visible symbol of the America democracy," said Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) during a ceremony Thursday honoring the late-Parks' 97th birthday.

Parks was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give her seat on the bus to a white man in segregated Alabama.

"Happy birthday, Rosa Parks. By sitting down, you showed us how to stand up," added Jackson.

Each U.S. state is permitted to place two statues in the Capitol. Statuary hall, a room that once served as the House floor when former President Abraham Lincoln served in Congress, is a highly visited section of the building. Jackson steered a bill to place the stature in the highly-visible location in 2005.

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who attended the ceremony, encouraged people to travel to her state to view a piece of Parks' legacy.

"I ... want to mention and invite you, if you are not from Michigan, to come to Henry Ford and Dearborn where the bus, where she made her standing is on display."

Article originally appeared on Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media (http://www.talkradionews.com/).