Hastings commemorates100th birthday of Rosa Parks
By Lale Mamaux
Recently Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) made the following statement in recognition of the 100th birthday of civil rights activist Rosa Parks: “Just two weeks after witnessing the second swearing-in of our nation’s first Black President, it is appropriate that we commemorate the birth of a civil rights leader that helped to make such a moment possible. Ms. Parks’ brave act – refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated Montgomery bus on Dec-ember 1, 1955 – marked the be-ginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement. “Ms. Parks’ efforts to overcome prejudice came at great personal cost and her struggle stands as a reminder of how far our nation has come.