WASHINGTON—U.S. House Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn delivered the following remarks today at the official ceremony unveiling the Rosa Parks statue in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol:
“This is a good time and a great place to honor a most honorable woman. This year marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which jumpstarted a march to freedom for many who, while in servitude, built this great edifice.
“This year is also the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, a watershed event in our quest for human dignity. Rosa Parks, the first lady of civil rights, the mother of the movement, the saint of an endless struggle—however one may wish to refer to her, this statue forever ordains Rosa Parks’s status as an icon of our nation’s struggles to live out its declaration that we all are created equal.
“One hour ago, I sat across the street witnessing the opening arguments of a voting rights case before the United States Supreme Court—a case that many feel could turn the clock back on much of the progress that has been made, and for which we pause today to honor Rosa Parks.
“The struggle goes on. The movement continues. The pursuit is not over. To honor Rosa Parks in the fullest manner, each of us must do our part to protect that which has been gained, defend the great documents upon which those gains were obtained, and continue our pursuit of ‘a more perfect Union.’ ”
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