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Home , Dorothy Height, Jesse Jackson, Rosa Parks

Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 / June 15

Remarks Honoring Parks at the Congressional Gold Medal Award Ceremony June 15, 1999

Thank you so much. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Gep- said, ‘‘by the accumulated indignities of days hardt, Senator Daschle, Representative Carson, gone by and the countless aspirations of genera- Senator Abraham, Representative Clyburn, Rep- tions yet unborn.’’ resentative Watts, to all the Members of the said, ‘‘I didn’t get on that bus House and the Senate here, and those not here, to get arrested. I got on that bus to go home.’’ who supported this resolution, I thank you for [Laughter] In so many ways, Rosa Parks brought what you have done. Dr. Ogilvie, Dr. Ford, Rev- America home to our Founders’ dream. erend Jackson, members of the Cabinet and the You know, when we look across the history civil rights community who are here, Dr. Height. of the , we celebrate Presi- I’d like to say a special word of welcome dent Lincoln and the Congress of that era— to two members of the who for Constitutional amendments. We celebrate came here to honor Rosa Parks: Minnijean William Lloyd Garrison and . Brown Trickey and Robert Jefferson, welcome In our own period, we celebrate President Ei- to you. I want to thank the Howard University senhower and sending the troops to Little Rock, Gospel Choir and the incomparable Jessye the commitment of John and Robert Kennedy, Norman for their wonderful, wonderful music. the magnificent legislative achievements of The previous speakers have spoken with great President Johnson and that Congress, reaching power, eloquence, and truth. In less than 200 across party lines. days now, we will mark the end of another cen- But we know that in a funny way, people tury. They have told you the story of one brave who have no position or money and have only woman and the ripples of impact she had upon the power of their courage and character are all the millions of people who lived in the always there before the political leaders. We . It is, in many ways, the quin- know that. tessential story of the 20th century, a time with When Rosa Parks got on that bus in , trials and tribulations which still, fundamentally, I was a 9-year-old boy, living in Arkansas, going is the story of the triumph of freedom, of de- to segregated schools, riding public buses every mocracy over dictatorship, free enterprise over single day, where all the people sat in state socialism, of tolerance over bigotry. the back. My family got a television when I It was a fight waged on the beaches of Nor- was 9 years old, just a few months before it mandy, on the islands of the South Pacific, at became worldwide news that Mrs. Parks had Checkpoint Charlie, behind the Iron Curtain, gotten on the bus. I thought it was a pretty and countless known and unknown, large and good deal and so did my friends. And we small villages across the globe; here, at home, couldn’t figure out anything we could do, since a fight waged in classrooms, lunch counters, and we couldn’t even vote. So, we began to sit on on public buses in the segregated South. For the back of the bus when we got on. [Laughter] us, what has always been at stake is whether It seems like—I say this—now, this is a little we could keep moving on that stony road, closer thing. I say it only to say we must never, ever, to the ideals of our Founders, whether we really when this ceremony is over, forget about the could be a country where we are all equal, not power of ordinary people to stand in the fire only endowed by our Creator with, but in fact for the cause of human dignity and to touch living with, the rights to life, liberty, and the the hearts of people that have almost turned pursuit of happiness. to stone. Forty-four years ago Rosa Parks reminded us I thank the Congress for honoring Rosa Parks. all that we a long way from those ideals, I was honored, Rosa, to give you the Medal that for millions of , our history was of Freedom, and I was thrilled during the State full of weary years, our sweet land of liberty of the Union Address when you got that enor- bearing only bitter fruit and silent tears. And mous bipartisan ovation here. But remember, so she sat, anchored to that seat, as Dr. my fellow Americans, freedom’s work is never

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done. There are still people who are discrimi- Could we—Julia, why don’t you go down nated against. There are still people—there are there, and you and Spence can—[laughter]— still people that because of their human condi- wow, it’s beautiful. Really beautiful, isn’t it? tion are looked down on, derided, degraded, Let’s give a big hand to , who was demeaned. And we should all remember the the artist who prepared this. Didn’t she do a powerful example of this one citizen. And those wonderful job? [Applause] of us with greater authority and power should attempt every day, in every way, to follow her NOTE: The President spoke at 4:10 p.m. in the lead. rotunda at the U.S. Capitol. In his remarks, he God bless you, Mrs. Parks, and God bless referred to Representative and Sen- America. ator Spencer Abraham, sponsors of the legislation Now—[applause]—thank you. Now, I would to authorize award of the medal, Public Law 106– like to—again, this is my errand for Congress- 26; Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Chaplain of the Senate; James woman Carson and Senator Abraham and the David Ford, Chaplain of the House; civil rights Speaker and Mr. Gephardt and the other leaders leader Rev. ; , chair- here. I understand the actual medal has not man of the board, National Council of Negro been struck yet, but a ‘‘gold line’’ copy of the Women; Minnijean Brown Trickey and Jefferson resolution that authorizes the medal has been Thomas, members of the Little Rock Nine, stu- struck, or prepared, for Mrs. Parks. And I’d dents who integrated Central High School in Lit- like to ask all of you to look to my left, to tle Rock, AR, in 1957; soprano ; your right, for a glimpse of the proposed design and artist Artis Lane, who submitted the design for the medal. for the medal.

Remarks on Proposed Work Incentives Legislation June 15, 1999

That was a speech of a man who is not run- nedy, but let me—I know most of you here ning for reelection. [Laughter] Since I’m not understand this, but let me just give you one either, I can only hope to do as well. [Laughter] specific example. I think it’s important to hu- I would like to point out something, since manize this. we are here in the LBJ Room, named for Presi- I had a town meeting about this issue in New dent Johnson, a room in which he worked for Hampshire on February the 18th. And there many good causes as Senate majority leader. was a man there who had been very badly in- Thirty-five years ago he said, ‘‘I am convinced jured in a skiing accident and was paralyzed, that it is morally right, that it is socially just, basically, from the chest down. And because that it is economically sensible, that it is admin- of the special opportunity he had, he actually istratively feasible to open the door of employ- was able to keep his health care and work. His ment opportunity to Americans with disabilities.’’ health insurance—his health care costs were Now, our country has done a lot on that road $40,000 a year, just to maintain him. But he in the last 35 years, especially beginning with worked very productively and very successfully the Americans with Disabilities Act. In 1997 we for about 75 percent of that; that was his salary. dramatically strengthened the IDEA Act, and Now, if he were not working, he’d still get the I’m very proud to have been a part of that $40,000 in health care, but he wouldn’t be work- with the people who are here. But the full ing. He’d be much less happy, much less ful- promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act filled. He wouldn’t be paying income taxes to will never be realized until we pass this legisla- the Federal Government. He wouldn’t be paying tion. the other revenues through which we fund I am profoundly indebted to all these Sen- Medicare and Social Security, including, inter- ators who are here, Senators Lott and Moynihan estingly enough, the money from Social Security and, of course, to Senators Jeffords and Ken- that goes to the disabled.

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