William Pryor: “I join Arkansans in mourning the loss of Rosa Parks, known throughout the Nation as the ``Mother of the Freedom…”

“I join Arkansans in mourning the loss of Rosa Parks, known throughout the Nation as the ``Mother of the Freedom Movement.'' As people line up to pay their respects to Mrs. Parks in the Capitol Rotunda today, I cannot help but remember the incredible impact she had on our Nation. Rosa Parks is the first woman to lie in the Capitol Rotunda, which is a testament that her actions are just as significant today as they were in 1955. Mrs. Parks once remarked that her show of defiance to move to the back of the bus was simply because she was tired of being humiliated, tired of following archaic rules forbidding her from sitting in the front of a public bus or entering public buildings through the front door. But, history will remember Rosa Parks for shaking America's conscience and changing the course of our Nation for the better. Mrs. Parks' courage to sit down for equal rights ignited others to stand up for theirs. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., stood up to call for equality and justice for all Americans, inspiring and organizing thousands of activists to stand up with him. Four students in Greensboro, NC, sat in at a Woolworth's lunch counter, standing up for their right to be served. And, Daisy Bates led the Little Rock Nine to stand up for their right to an equal education.…”