Whereas, Rosa Parks grew up in the segregated south and in 1932, married barber Raymond Parks, a fellow member of the Montgomery, Alabama, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); and,

Whereas, On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks changed the course of American justice forever with a quiet, graceful act of defiance when she refused to give up her seat on a city bus; and,

Whereas, This action of civil disobedience sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, which became one of the nation's largest movements against racial segregation and eventually lead to the Supreme Court's ruling in 1956 that segregation on transportation was unconstitutional; and,

Whereas, Rosa Parks became an icon as she lead the fight against racial injustice and the battle for equal rights for all Americans, and in 1999, she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, America's highest civilian honor;

Now, Therefore, be it Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of the state of Michigan, do hereby proclaim February 9, 2009, as Rosa Parks Day in Michigan.  May she always be remembered for her courage, strength and commitment to equality.