Wednesday, November 2, 2005

Excerpts from speakers' remarks at the funeral service

The Detroit News

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John Conyers

This is the most moving thing that has happened -- we celebrated in three cities, Alabama, Washington and Detroit. Rosa Parks is the first woman in American history to lie in honor in rotund of capital of the United States. We needed two airplanes for all the congressmen and women. She was in my first campaign to get me elected, folks.

I didn't just read or hear about her. The power you feel in this church is the power that she left when she walked on this earth and lived in Detroit for year after year. She worked in my office...this was a celebrity staffer if there ever was one. We got along well because she had that Mother Theresa-like aura about her that brought peace and harmony - I never heard her in an argument or heard her raise her voice or use angry tones or negative words about anybody. She didn't have it in her.

Rev. Charles Adams

She sat there so that we might sit in higher seats. And because she sat where she sat, we are now sitting in the halls of Congress, sitting on the Supreme Court, sitting as presidents and CEO's of global corporations, heads of Ivey League schools, pastors of mega churches, secretaries of state, sitting at the table where cosmic decisions are made. Because she sat there, we are able to sit here.

Rev. Bernice King (Martin Luther King's daughter)

(Speaking on behalf of her mother Coretta Scott King) Today, we morn the lost of the mother of the movement. A woman whose name will forever be etched in the hearts of freedom-loving people everywhere: Mrs. Rosa L Parks. And though we muorn the loss of this singular champion of racial justice, we also celebrate her home-going as a woman of unwavering faith who served God and humanity with unconditional love and devotion.

John Dingell

Rosa Parks was] a quiet, gentle, effective, wonderful, strong, wise leader. A couple of things we can think of about Rosa Parks: Somebody said to me once that she was a seamstress. She was. This country has had two great seamstresses - one was named Betsey Ross, who put together the flag which flies beautifully over parts of country and is in all our hearts. Rosa Parks lent meaning to that flag by the leadership she gave. We will succeed in ending Jim Crow and discrimination in this country.

Bill Clinton

Rosa parks ignited the most significant social movement in modern American history to finish the work that spawned the Civil War and redeem the promise of the 13, 14, and 15 Amendments. For 50 more years, she moved beyond the bus continuing her work on that promise. It was my honor to present her with a presidential medal of freedom and to join the leaders of congress in presenting her with a congressional gold medal.

I remember it well while she sat with Hillary in the box of the first family of the State of the Union address of 1999 and how the entire Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike rose as one to recognize that she has made us all better people and a better country.

When I first met Rosa Parks, I was reminded of what Abraham Lincoln said when he was introduced to Harriet Beacher Stow, the author of Uncle Tom's cabin. He said 'So this is the little lady who started the great war." This time Rosa's war was fought by Martin Luther King's rules: civil disobedience, peaceful resistance -- but a war nonetheless for one America in which the law of the land means the same thing for everybody. Rosa Parks as we saw again today was small in stature with delicate features, but the passing years did nothing to dim the light that danced in her eyes. The kindness and strength you saw in her smile or the dignity of her voice, till the end she radiated that kind of grace and serenity that God specially gives to those that stand in the line of fire for freedom and touch even the hardest of hearts.

Now that our friend Rosa Parks has gone on to her just reward, now that she has gone home and left us behind let us never forget that in that simple act and a lifetime of grace and dignity she showed us every single day what it means to be free. She made us see and agree that everyone should be free. God bless you Rosa, God bless you.

John Kerry

No one could ever forget meeting Rosa Parks --- anyone who had the privilege of doing so, met her extraordinary strength, graceful and humility, and we were all impressed beyond words her conviction in taking on the army of power that was against her. Rosa Parks reminded many, but she taught even more what the words "speaking truth to power" really mean.

In an era when the words "patriot" and "courage" are thrown around too easily, this small woman armed with her belief in God and her sense of right and wrong stood up and gave meaning to the words courage, patriot. She loved the dream of our country more than she loved herself and worked to live it. In the struggle for civil rights, some were called to stand up and ... some were called to simply sit down ...on a bus to montgomery.