Mr. Speaker, in 1913, a little girl name Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Alabama. As she grew up, her mother, Leona McCauley, encouraged her daughter to ``take advantage of the opportunities, no matter how few they were,'' and she did just that. In 1932, she married Raymond Parks, an active participant in civil rights causes. The couple joined the Voters League in the 1940s.

   On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks' life changed forever and she became an icon of the civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat on a public bus to make extra room for white passengers. She was arrested and convicted of disorderly conduct for violating a local ordinance. Parks' arrest led to the formation of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which organized a boycott of public buses until the U.S Supreme Court ruled that Montgomery's policy of segregation on buses was unconstitutional.

   Later, Parks moved to Michigan, where Rosa initially worked as a seamstress and later as an aide to the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. CONYERS, from 1965 to 1988. She cofounded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development in 1987 with, which sponsors a summer bus tour for teenagers that were interested in learning the history of America and civil rights.

   Yesterday, at the age of 92, Rosa Parks passed away. Her contributions to American history will never be forgotten. Her dedication to the cause of civil rights will be sorely missed, but her legacy will live on forever.