applause good evening. Good evening. And welcome to the library of congress. It is our pleasure to have everyone here for a very special night, as we open the libraries newest exhibition, rosa parks, in her own words. It is my honor to welcome members of congress, including members of the congressional black caucus, members of the rosa parks family who have come to washington for this special celebration. Can you give them a hand . applause we would also like to welcome the rosen and Raymond Parks institute for self development, led by miss elaine steel. That is another round of applause. applause and photographer, donna tour, whose photo of missed parts is prominently displayed and a vital part of the exhibition. And all the leaders and staff of the different cultural institutions across washington including secretary of the smithsonian, dr. Lonnie bunch. applause and the archivist of the united states, mr. David fairy on. And our guests and staff and our viewers on live, this is being livestreamed, right now. I have to tell you, we are radiating with joy and pride tonight because it is our pleasure to open this beautiful and compelling new exhibition about one of our countrys most beloved civil rights icons. Rosa parks. The collection resonates strongly with me. After i was sworn in as the 14th librarian of congress in 2016, the very first collection i was able to see was the rosa parks papers. And Library Manuscript specialist, adrian cannon, who is a descendant of carnage you would sign, father of black history, showed me the connection. She carefully showed me the letters and private notes and photographs and written by mrs. Rosa parks. Adrian is here tonight, and is the proud curator of the exhibition. applause from the first moment i saw her family bible, followed by all of her personal letters and writings, i felt the overwhelming power of the collection. An example, in one letter, she wrote after the arrest, i had been pushed around all my life and felt, at this moment, that i couldnt take it anymore. I knew then, when i read those words, that we had to share these papers with the public for a much broader view. And in this wonderful exhibit, through her own words, rosa parks, you will discover, was not always writing for publication or posterity. She was writing in the moment and for herself. This is not the rosa parks we all met in textbooks, or in Public Service announcements. But it is the very complex, very human and the very real rosa parks. Powerful story, a long fight for justice have always resonated with me. And as the first woman and the first African American to serve as a librarian of congress, i take special pleasure and having the rosa parks collection housed here. applause housed here, in the Worlds Largest library, side by side with the papers of frederick douglas, abraham lincoln, Mary Church Terrell and thurgood marshall. Rosa parks lived a life dedicated to equal rights and social justice. She helped change the country with the example she set. As a statue of rosa parks stands with pride in the capital rotunda, in this exhibition, you will see her standing tall, quite literally, as her photos, images of her papers and videos tower more than 12 feet above you. None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the Howard G Buffett foundation, who made the rosa parks collection a gift to the library, and to the nation. It all started when jesse holland, a journalist at the time, learned that the collection was stored away in boxes in a warehouse. I wrote a story about it, and his story was red and seen by mr. Howard buffett, who bought the papers and get into the library, so they could be preserved, scanned and seen by everyone. Jesse is now a scholar residents in the library of congress, john center. That deserves a hand. applause the collection, comprises some 10,000 items drawn from both this miss Parks Private life and her decades of work for civil rights. It includes photos and correspondents, handwritten reflections, private notes during the montgomery bust boycotts and the struggle she endured after. Adrian and our exhibit director, mr. David mantle and his team, have curated a beautiful gallery that will tell miss parks story in her own words, and photographs. It is our honor to open the exhibition tomorrow to the general public on december 5th. The 64th anniversary of the montgomery bus boycott. And as part of the opening, we are releasing, i am a librarian. This companion book, rosa parks, in her own words. Written by the Library Susan and it includes many of the photographs and documents you will see an exhibit shun. We are delighted to be joined by the people from the university of georgia press, who worked with the libraries Publishing Office to create this eloquent companion piece. And we are also starting something with this exhibition at the library of congress, for the first time, we are launching a ask a librarian Noble Research station. Within the exhibition. Visitors will have the opportunity to right there in the exhibit, delve more deeply into subjects, themes, election materials and online research. Resources related to mrs. Parks life through direct interaction with the librarian. And before i go, i also have to acknowledge the generous donors who made this exhibition possible. The ford foundation, the catherine bee reynolds foundation, the reynolds are here. With Additional Support oh applause with support from aarp history, joyce and thomas more head who are also here. applause and the capital, we cant thank you enough for your generosity and for your support of this exhibit. As the curator adrian cannon explain to me, the storyteller of this exhibition is rosa parks. It is her words, and her voice, that will be echoing through the gallery as you walk around the display. It is the full story of rosa parks. The seasoned, lifelong activist and the woman behind the civil rights icon. applause he and now we are going to find out which of these ladies is the incredible rosa parks. Will the real rosa parks please stand up. applause what supports is often taught as a sort of meek, seamstress who one day sort of accidentally stumbles into history and refuses to give a person on the bus, launching the Civil Rights Movement. That version taught in schools, often celebrated nationally, very much distorts and limits who rosa parks actually was. Her activism starts two decades before her bus stand, on december 1st 1955 and will continue for four decades after. As far as i can remember, during my lifetime, i resisted the idea of being mistreated and pushed around because of my race. And i felt that all people should be free regardless of their color. One day when i was about ten, i met a little white boy named franklin on the road. He was about my size, maybe a little bit larger. He said something to me, and he threatened to hit me, balled up his fist as if to give me a sock. I picked up a brick and dared him to hit me. He thought better of the idea and ran away. I love that. I love that. At ten, she knew the deep injustice of thinks. Perhaps the case that guts for the most is the case about a 16 year old by the name of jeremy reeves. Jeremy reeves was a high school student, a jazz drummer and delivered groceries. Is he started having a relationship with a young white woman, a got fine found out, she cried rape. They put him in the electric chair and told him if he didnt confess, he would be electrocuted on the spot. He gave a false confession. She began writing letters and trying to organize against blocking that execution. Got dr. King involved. And didnt succeed. He was executed. She would tell me how devastating that was, how it broke her heart. This is a rosa parks letter from 1956. I cried bitterly that i would be lynched rather than be run over by them. They could get the rope ready for me at any time they wanted to do their lynching. While my neck was spared of the lynch rope and my body was never riddled by bullets or dragged by an auto, i felt that i was lynched many times in mind and spirit. She was a believer that you had to dissent, you had to voice your objection even if you couldnt see that that would do any good. Rosa parks, like my mom, has her own definition of who she is. She doesnt let anybody change that definition. Health plan for a better world of tomorrow by giving all of the love, care and guidance to our children of today. As a child, when you read about important people, i thought that these were physical giants, people who spoke a language that was different from the language that i spoke. I found that those were regular people, and so i have always felt that a person does not have to be out of this world to accomplish something is extraordinary. We must have courage, determination, to go on with the task of becoming free. Not only for ourselves but for the nation and the world. Cooperate with each other, have faith in god, and in ourselves. I think we underestimate to the kind of courage it took to stand up to these forces that had silenced and marginalized black people from the very day we came to this continent. And yet, she was taking them on. I think it was really an amazing part of her legacy, was the courage, the strength, the bravery that defined her. As a human being. I think when we are involved in excavating American History, and coming to terms with the real history, i think too often, we find that most history is a sanitized madison avenue version. She is a lifelong activist, she represents the variety of strategies to combat the persistent racism in the united states. It is important that we liberate rosa parks and liberate ourselves from the tyranny of the superficial history. Hurt, harm and danger. The dark closet of my mind. So much to remember. And yes, its somewhere in the dark closet of my mind to, it cant help but be in the black closet of your mind. You should never forget, there is so much to remember. But also, know that this exhibit will show that rosa parks made a difference in moving us forward. And move forward, we must. Even as we remember the past, we have to look to a brighter future. applause please welcome the honorable john lewis, representative from georgia. applause . You go evening. Good evening. You are a beautiful group. You look good. Let me say to the librarian of congress, thank you. I dont want to cry tonight but i mishit some two years, thank you for open this place. Who held this exhibit in honor of a savior of our country and democracy. Rosa parks, gray, i dont know i would be. I dont know where our nation would be. I dont know where will we be as a people. This woman, by sitting down, she encouraged so many of us to stand up and since then many of us have never looked back and we will continue to look forward. Freddy gray would tell you, my friend, my attorney, fred, you were an attorney for many of us. You probably had unbelievable number of clients. People just came and said, we need your help. I grew up in rural alabama. About by 50 miles from montgomery we said 48 to 50 miles from a guy murray. My father had been a sharecroppers for a farmer. But in 1944, when i was four years old, i do remember when i was for, my father had saved 300 dollars and a man sold him 110 acres of land. We still own that land today. applause kim growing up, people lived in fear. We saw the signs saying white only, colored only. White boys, colored boys. White girls, colored girls. Growing up, i was told by my mother, my father, my grandparents and my greatgrandparents, dont get in trouble. But rogue rosa parks inspired us to get in trouble. Ive been getting in trouble ever since. applause he was saying when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have an obligation to say something, to do something. I met rosa parks. My staff had statements but i cannot stay with it. I have been moved by her spirit. If it hadnt been for rosa parks, growing up there, i dont know what would have happened to so many people. She inspired us to get in good trouble, necessary trouble. I followed the drama and montgomery, i followed your leadership, i followed the words of martin with their king junior, the action of rosa parks. We were too poor to have a subscription to the local newspaper, but my grandfather had one and when he would finish reading his newspaper, he would pass it on to us to read. I read about you, reverend aber nasty, rosa parks saying i kept saying to myself, if the people can organize, we can to stand up and organize. A Little College about eight or ten miles home bulk a blank student so i got a chance to get an application and apply to go to the school. I never heard a word from this school so i wrote a letter to dr. Martin luther king junior. And told him i needed his help because i have been inspired by rosa parks. Dr. King wrote me back and sent me a bus ticket and invited me to come to montgomery to meet with him. I cannot forget it. Freddie gray is still the same way, so young. [laughter] met me at the Greyhound Bus station and drove me to the First Baptist church past by the Reverand Abernathy and ushered me in to the church. I saw Martin Luther king jr. And abernathy standing behind the desk, and dr. King said are you the boy from troy . Are you john lewis . And i said, dr. King, i am john robert lewis. I gave him my whole name. But he still called me the boy from troy. And over the years, i had an opportunity to meet rosa parks and to talk with her. She was so wonderful, so kind, and she kept saying to each one of us, you too can do something. She inspired us to participate in the sit ins, to study the way of peace, the way of love, to study the philosophy and discipline but nonviolence. Again, i want to thank you. I want to thank you for what you are doing to help educate another generation, to stand up, to be brave, to be bold, to be courageous, and for people to see something that is not right, not fair, not just, do something. We cannot afford to be quiet. We live at a time where we must save our democracy. Save our planet. We must do what rosa parks did. When there comes a time to sit in, sit down, do it. There comes a time to speak up. Speak up and speak out. Come a time to get in the way or to get in good trouble, necessary trouble, do it. Be brave. Be bold. Be courageous. Rosa parks believed as i believed. We have a right to know what is in the food we eat. We have a right to know what is in the water we drink, what is in the air we breathe. And each one of us today must find ways to tell the story of rosa parks. One brave woman. With the help of hundreds and thousands have changed america forever. To use the way of peace, the way of love. To follow the teachings of gandhi and Martin Luther king jr. To make our country better, and to help save our little planet. So thank you very much for being here tonight. And again, let me thank the library of congress. Thank you. applause thank you, congressman lewis. You are a living icon, and we owe so much to you. Thank you for being here and thank you, thank you, thank you. And now, we have more special guests joining us for an extraordinary discussion on the life and legacy of rosa parks. We are joined by attorney fred gray, who made history by representing miss parks after her arrest in montgomery. And jane gunter, who offered her seat to miss parks on the day of the bus on december 1, 1955, and they will be joined by cbs news correspondent and the anchor of the saturday edition of cbs this morning, miss michelle miller, who will be moderating a discussion. Please welcome attorney fred gray, jane dunker, and michelle miller. applause i feel honored and privileged to be here. Madam librarian, thank you. Thank you all for being here. Thank you. Miss gunter, mr. Gray, when you see this exhibit, when you see this exhibit, it shatters the notion of rosa parks as an accidental activist. Finally, that myth of an accidental activist will go by the way. The history, in her own words, will be spoken. The woman the two of you knew will be known, and part of the reckoning, i find, with what we see upstairs is this funny, feisty, incredibly savvy american. You knew her long before 1954. I want you to describe her, the first moment you met her. Yes, maam. Thank you, sir. Before i answer that question, thank you the librarian for inviting me to share this occasion here. I got my wife, carol, here. Some other relatives. If you just raise your hand. Those who are here. And also the president of the national bar association. I just want to thank those persons who have come. I want to thank congressman lewis. He wanted me to end up filing a lawsuit so he could go to troy state, but his parents were afraid and he was a minor. We introduced him to dr. King and it introduced him to the movement and the rest of it was history. Now, what was your question . Back to rosa parks. Back to that day that you met her, how would you describe her . I had met rosa parks not just december 1, 1955, but i really at first met her when i was a student at what was then Alabama State college for negroes. Alabama state university. I lived on the west side of town. Alabama state was on the east side of town. I was a student trying to learn how to be a teacher. I had already learned a Little Something about how to be a preacher, and that was the biggest thing that black boys in montgomery, alabama, in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s could be. I found out she worked with the naacp. She also worked with edie nixon, who was a family friend of ours, who was mr. Civil rights. They were very much interested in doing whatever it took so that africanamericans would be able to enjoy the same rights and privileges of others. I then had to ride the buses and it was because of problems we had over buses, including a man who was killed as a result of an altercation on the bus, that i decided that in addition to being a preacher and being a teacher, i was going to be a lawyer. They tell me that lawyers help people. And i thought that the black people in montgomery had a real problem with buses. So i made a personal commitment when i was a teenager. I was going to finish college, go to somebodys law school, become a lawyer, but in order to do that i wasnt going to go to university of alabama, go someplace else, come back, take the bar exam, and destroy everything segregated i could find. While i was thinking about doing that, i saw ms. Parks working, doing what i wanted to do, and that was my first beginning. Move forward to three or four years later. I enrolled in the law school in cleveland. I finished in three years, took the bar exam just in case. A month l