Natural Resource Protection Cooperative Agreement Act

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I thank the gentleman for bringing forward this bill; and I rise in strong support of S. 1285, a bill to designate the Federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building.'' This bill also contains a provision to name the annex to the E. Barrett Prettyman courthouse here in the District of Columbia in honor of Federal District Court Judge William B. Bryant.

Both are legendary African Americans, and the agreement that Federal buildings should be named in their honor is both wide and deep.

I thank my good friend and colleague from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick) for her diligent leadership on the Rosa Parks Federal building designation. I also want to thank my good friend of longstanding, the senior Senator from Virginia, Senator John Warner, for tirelessly working with me for more than 3 years to achieve this honor for Judge Bryant. I am deeply grateful as well to Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Patrick Leahy, who also was particularly conscientious in pressing for this honor for Judge Bryant.

I spoke last Wednesday, Mr. Speaker, concerning the events that led Rosa Parks to challenge the daily humiliation of Montgomery, Alabama's black residents who were required to pay their bus fare to the driver, then get off and reenter through the rear door, and then relinquish their seats and move to the back of the bus upon the demand of any white passenger. Since then, Congress has broken with precedent and voted to allow Rosa Parks to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, and she did so just a few days ago, the first woman and only the second African American who has been accorded this honor. In so doing, the United States of America recognized the unique and extraordinary contribution of Rosa Parks to her country. Her simple act of civil disobedience in refusing to relinquish her seat on demand from a white man on a segregated bus was the functional equivalent of a nonviolent shot heard around the world.

Fifty years later, time may blur the enormous personal risk Rosa Parks took on in America in 1955. During our country's tragic racial history, black men had been lynched for less. Grievances like those of African Americans after 400 years of slavery and humiliating discrimination had been resolved by violent revolution throughout human history.

Our country is enormously in Rosa Parks' debt because the revolution that led to the end of government and legally sanctioned discrimination began with a nonviolent revolutionary act, setting an example that endured. So brave was her act in the South in 1955 that even those of us who were young, in school, and had nothing to lose did not engage in the first sit-ins until 5 years later. The act of one woman finally led to the mass civil rights movement, the missing ingredient in the civil rights struggle. This movement was Rosa Parks' special gift to her people and to those who joined them, especially the residents of the

District of Columbia, who still feed from her inspiration to achieve equality with other Americans, including equal voting rights in the Congress of the United States.

In an era of peacock leaders who strut their stuff, her selfless example is an especially important guide. In great humility, Rosa Parks' gift was not the message that ``I am doing this to free you.'' Her message was far more direct: ``Free yourself.'' It is with gratitude that we bring this bill forward today in that spirit.

The honor for Judge William Bryant has an unusual origin indeed. The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Hogan, for himself and all the members of the trial court, visited my office to request that the annex under construction for the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal building be named for a senior U.S. judge, Judge William B. Bryant. Judge Bryant was unaware of the desires and actions of his colleagues, who unanimously agreed to request that the annex be named for the judge. It is rare that Congress names a courthouse or an annex for a judge who has served in that court and even more rare for a judge who is still sitting.

All who have been involved in this effort recognize and agree that giving an honor to a sitting judge has been granted in the past but only rarely and should be reserved only for the most extraordinary of judges. Judge William Bryant is such a judge.

I am particularly grateful to this House which early understood the unique importance of Judge Bryant's contributions and unhesitatingly passed this bill last session.

Judge Bryant's colleagues who know his work and his temperament best have found a particularly appropriate way for the court, the bar, our city, and our country to celebrate the life and accomplishments of a truly great judge. I know Judge Bryant personally. I know his reputation in this city and in the law, and I know that the request to name the annex for Judge Bryant reflects deep respect for his unusually distinguished life at the bar.

Judge Bryant began his career in private practice in the segregated Washington of the 1940s and 1950s when African American lawyers were barred from membership in the District of Columbia Bar Association and even from using the bar law library. He established his legal reputation as a partner of the legendary African American law firm, Houston, Bryant & Gardner, and taught at Howard University Law School. His reputation as an extraordinary trial lawyer led to his appointment as the first African American Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He later rose to become the first African American to serve as chief judge of the United States District Court, whose members now ask that the annex be named for Judge Bryant.

For his representation of criminal defendants in private practice, Judge Bryant was admired as one of the city's best and most respected trial lawyers. Among his many notable cases is the landmark Mallory v. United States, a 1957 Supreme Court decision where the Court ruled that an arrested person must be promptly brought before a judicial officer.

Judge Bryant was born in Wetumpka, Alabama, but grew up in this city and graduated from D.C. public schools, Howard University, and Howard Law School where he was first in his class. After graduation, Judge Bryant served as chief research assistant to Dr. Ralph Bunche when Bunche worked with Gunnar Myrdal, the famous Swedish economist, in his studies of African American racial issues. Judge Bryant served in the United States Army during World War II and was honorably discharged as a lieutenant colonel in 1947.

The judge, who is 94, took senior status in 1982. Chief Judge Thomas Hogan wrote that Judge Bryant ``lost his beloved wife, Astaire, and now lives alone with this court and the law as the center of his life.''

This unusual request from all the judges of the court gives this designation great credibility. I am grateful to the judges of our U.S. District Court here for the thoughtful proposal that honors a Washingtonian and a lawyer of historic proportions. I very much appreciate the many efforts of my friends in the Senate, especially Senators Warner and Leahy, in helping me to get this bill through both Houses. I especially appreciate the leadership of this House who went to extraordinary lengths to make sure that this bill would be accomplished.

The residents of this city and the court that Judge Bryant has served so well, and members of the bar here, join me in gratitude for this tribute. We are all especially pleased to see two notable African Americans celebrated together in this House today in this special way.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1285, a bill to designate a Federal building in Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building'' and to designate the annex of the Prettyman Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C., as the ``William B. Bryant Annex''.

Rosa Parks is known as the ``mother of the civil rights movement''. With one single act of defiance--when she refused to give up her seat on the Cleveland Avenue bus in Montgomery, Alabama--she galvanized a Nation and changed the course of history. On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Parks was sitting in the middle row of the bus with three other black riders. The bus driver demanded that all four give up their seats so that a single white man could sit. Three of the riders complied. Mrs. Parks remained seated.

It is important to keep in mind that what is often remembered as a quiet act of civil disobedience took tremendous personal courage. Blacks at that time had been arrested, and even beaten or killed, for refusing to follow the orders of bus drivers. Rosa Parks was arrested, jailed, and fined $14.

As Mrs. Parks herself has said in the years following that pivotal moment, she hadn't planned on taking a stand that day. She hadn't planned on becoming the face of the injustices of segregation. She had simply had enough. She was tired of being treated like a second-class citizen. She had had enough.

Mrs. Parks' act of courage sparked the civil rights movement. A boycott of the public buses was organized for Monday, December 5, the day of Mrs. Parks' trial. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., then a young preacher who was only 26 years old, organized the boycott. The boycott lasted 381 days, ending only after the Supreme Court outlawed segregation on buses. It captured the attention of the Nation and forced people to confront the inequalities that were then commonplace. The civil rights movement ultimately led to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned racial discrimination in public accommodations, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Rosa Parks is an American icon. By refusing to give up her seat on that Montgomery bus, she changed the course of history. This honor is long overdue.

Mr. Speaker, Rosa Parks was 92 when she died. Her funeral was today. I'm only sorry that we could not have passed this bill while Mrs. Parks was still alive. Although she suffered from dementia in her later years, I believe that she would have understood and appreciated such recognition from the United States Congress.

The strength and presence of a Federal building perfectly captures the character and personality of this icon of the civil rights movement. It is fitting and just that her life and public accomplishments are acknowledged with this designation.

Mr. Speaker, I also support the provision of this bill to designate the annex to the Prettyman Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C., as the ``William B. Bryant Annex''. I thank the Gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), Ranking Democratic Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, for her steadfastness and support for naming the annex for

Judge Bryant. In the last Congress, Ms. Norton was instrumental in House consideration of H.R. 4294, a bill to name the annex for Judge Bryant. Unfortunately, the Senate did not consider the bill. In this Congress, Ms. Norton introduced H.R. 1015 to continue her effort to honor this distinguished jurist.

Judge Bryant is 94 years old, and is legendary in District legal circles. He practiced law in the 1940's and 1950's when the city was segregated. He could not join the D.C. Bar Association or use its facilities. Yet, he has achieved great stature as a trial lawyer and enjoys an enviable reputation.

Judge Bryant is a lifelong D.C. resident who attended D.C. public schools and Howard University Law School, where he graduated first in his class. He began his legal career in private practice in the District with the legendary African American law firm of Houston, Bryant and Gardner. In 1965, he was nominated by President Johnson to the federal bench and confirmed by the Senate later that year. Judge Bryant is the first African American to hold the post of Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

During his long, productive legal career Judge Bryant also served as the first African American Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and taught at Howard University Law School.

The judges of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia unanimously agreed to name the annex in honor of Judge Bryant and approached Congresswoman Norton and Senator John Warner for their help. For the past several years, Ms. Norton and Senator Warner have worked to overcome Senate objections to naming the annex in honor of Judge Bryant because he continues to serve in active, senior status.

It is an extraordinary testament to Rosa Parks that, even in her death, her work is not done. The bill to honor her became the unstoppable legislative vehicle to ensure that Judge Bryant, this extraordinary African American jurist, be honored with this designation while he is still living.

I strongly support S. 1285 and urge my colleagues to join me in honoring these legendary American heroes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1285) to designate the Federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 1285.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

S. 1285 honors two Americans by designating buildings in their honor. This bill designates the Federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott Street, Detroit, Michigan, as the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building,'' and the annex of the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Building and Courthouse located in the District of Columbia as the ``William B. Bryant Annex.''

Last week, the House passed H.R. 2967, which would have named the building in Detroit after Rosa Parks. We are back here today because the Senate amended their version of this bill to include the designation in honor of Judge William Bryant.

Rosa Parks has been eulogized and honored by many people who knew her better than I, but I would like to take this opportunity to express my condolences to those who knew her and praise her to those that will hopefully follow her example.

Rosa Parks is well known for a simple, yet historic, act of defiance. To paraphrase something the Mayor of Detroit said at a service in her honor, ``She stood for what was right, by sitting down.'' This act inspired further acts of civil disobedience and earned her the title of the ``mother of the civil rights movement.''

Hers is an example that we should commend to our children and our grandchildren, an example of fortitude and resolution to do what is right, even when it meant great risk to her personal safety. She is truly deserving of this honor we are bestowing today.

We are also here to honor Judge William B. Bryant, a Federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Judge Bryant was the first African American to be named Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Though born in Alabama, William Bryant moved with his family to Washington, D.C., at the age of 1 and made D.C. his home for the past 92 years. After serving in the United States Army and attending Howard University, he began his legal career working in private practice and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Judge Bryant was appointed to the United States District Court by President Lyndon Baines Johnson and was later named Chief Judge. His appointment to the bench was monumental during the civil rights movement, as African Americans struggled for rights as full and equal citizens of this Nation.

During the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks and Judge Bryant were viewed as heroic icons by African Americans. Today, they are recognized and remembered by people of all races for not only the effect they have on the civil rights movement but also for their subsequent accomplishments.

I believe this is a fitting honor to a woman whose actions helped transform and improve our society and to a distinguished jurist who has served our Nation for over 40 years.

I support this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the proposed legislation ``To designate the Federal building located at 333 Mt. Elliott Street in Detroit, Michigan, as the `Rosa Parks Federal Building'.''

More than 50 years ago, on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded her normal bus home and sat down in one of the ``colored'' aisles toward the back of the bus. Soon, the bus began to fill, and Rosa was ordered to vacate her seat to accommodate the white passengers. She simply but stubbornly refused.

This peaceful act of protest sparked a citywide boycott of the bus system by the African American community. Men, women and children of Montgomery, Alabama refrained from riding the bus and instead either walked, rode their bikes or carpooled to work. In an impressive show of strength and courage, the boycott endured for over a year, and people across the nation joined with those in Montgomery. After 381 days, the City bus line finally relented and desegregated the buses.

Four days after the initial incident on the bus, a young man stood up in front of a large audience, having just been appointed as the head of the boycott: ``There comes a time,'' the man said, ``that people get tired. We are here this evening to say to those who have mistreated us for so long, that we are tired, tired of being segregated and humiliated, tired of being kicked about by the brutal feet of oppression.'' The name of that young man spurred to action by Rosa Parks was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rosa was found guilty that very same day of breaking the city's segregation law. It was over 50 years ago that Rosa Parks chose to peacefully but willfully stand up--or rather sit down--against the abhorrent laws that segregated this country. Let us honor and celebrate what Rosa Louise Parks helped this country accomplish half a century ago by urging for this federal building be named in her honor. But let us also remember that her fight is not over. Let this building, the ``Rosa Parks Federal Building,'' stand as a pillar of remembrance for this and future generations. Let this building always remind us of the battle she fought for freedom and equality, and the battles still being fought here and across the world today.

I support the proposed resolution for the foregoing reasons, and I urge my colleagues to follow suit.

Mr. Speaker, I support S. 1285, a bill naming a federal building in Detroit, Michigan after Rosa Parks and I join my colleagues in paying tribute to Mrs. Parks's courage and high ideals. Rosa Parks's simple act of refusing to get up from her seat to comply with an unjust law inspired a movement that brought an end to state-mandated racial segregation. Mrs. Parks was inspired to challenge government power by her conviction that laws that treated African-Americans as second-class citizens violated the natural rights all humans receive from their creator--rights which no government can justly infringe.

Rosa Parks's use of peaceful means of civil disobedience to challenge unjust laws stands as a shinning example of how peaceful means, such as civil disobedience and boycotts, can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and advance the cause of liberty. The example of Rosa Parks shows how an individual with the courage and conviction to stand alone against injustice can make a difference by inspiring others to take a stand. I hope all friends of freedom will draw inspiration from the example of Rosa Parks.