Rosa Parks honored in Capitol rotunda
The civil rights leader was the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol in 2005.
By Julia Wang ·
Rosa Parks was laid to rest in the U.S. Capitol rotunda on Oct. 30, 2005. She became the first woman to receive the distinction of lying in honor in that space.
Parks is widely known for her role in the Montgomery bus boycott. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, to a white passenger. That act of defiance turned her into a central figure in the civil rights movement.
The date Oct. 30 has marked other major events in American history. In 1975, the New York Daily News ran the headline 'Ford to City: Drop Dead.' President Gerald R. Ford had stated he would veto a federal bailout for New York City. The city faced a severe fiscal crisis and was on the verge of bankruptcy. New York eventually avoided the formal declaration of bankruptcy.
In 2023, the United Auto Workers announced a tentative deal with General Motors. The agreement capped a period of intense labor negotiations. GM, Ford, and Stellantis all agreed to terms that ended targeted strikes. The strikes had lasted six weeks. UAW members later ratified the new contracts.
The Capitol rotunda served as a final resting place for other dignitaries, but Parks was the first woman to occupy that specific honor. Her body remained there for public viewing. The event drew thousands of visitors who paid their respects to the icon. She died in 2005 at the age of 92.
Source: Boston Herald
