Senator Clark-Coleman offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 79.

            A resolution memorializing the life of Rosa Louise Parks by declaring December 1, 2005, as Rosa Parks Day.

            Whereas, Rosa Parks is the mother of the modern-day Civil Rights Movement whose bravery and fearless actions birthed freedom, justice, and equality for African Americans and people around the world who have been denied humanity because of the color of their skin; and

            Whereas, On Monday, October 24, at approximately 7:00 p.m., Mrs. Parks' journey came to a peaceful end. Her life that spanned 92 years will be re-invigorated every time a person of color uses public transportation or drinks from a public water fountain without restraint; and

            Whereas, It is with respect and awe that the Michigan Senate marks the occasion of her death by celebrating her storied life and the hundreds of thousands of lives that were saved, mended, and prospered by her refusal to adhere to inhumane and discriminatory practices; and

            Whereas, Mrs. Parks' righteous defiance of the law by not giving up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus beseeches us to abhor actions and rules that deny our fellow human beings essential civil rights; and

            Whereas, By honoring Mrs. Parks, we elevate the memory of those who were inspired to sacrifice their lives in the struggle for civil rights because she decided on December 1, 1955, that she no longer had the energy nor the desire to continue to exist as a second-class citizen in a society that valued the life and happiness of one group over another because of race; and

            Whereas, We honor Mrs. Parks today as one of the most influential Americans in history and as one of the greatest civil rights figures in the world; and

            Whereas, Her iconic stature belied her small, diminutive frame that somehow carried the weight of the world on that fateful December day. Civil rights workers around the globe use her valiant, nonviolent stance against segregation as a plumb line of success; and

            Whereas, The state of Michigan, city of Detroit, and county of Wayne were greatly blessed by her citizenry and will greatly grieve her loss; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That we hereby memorialize the life of Rosa Louise Parks by declaring December 1, 2005, as Rosa Parks Day; and be it further

            Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the family of Rosa Parks as a token of our condolences and esteem for the legacy she has bestowed to the citizens of Michigan and this country.