To washington for this special celebration. Can we give them a hand . [applause] we would also like to welcome the rosa and Raymond Parks institute for selfdevelopment, led by miss elaine steel. And that is another round of applause. [applause] and photographer donna, whose photo of miss parks is prominently displayed in 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 verioff. And our library guests and staff, and our viewers online, this is being livestreamed right now. And 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 was a descendent of carter g. Woodson, father of black history, showed me the collection, and she carefully presented to me the different photographs and letters and private notes handwritten by mrs. Rosa parks, and adrienne 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. In example, in one letter she wrote after the arrest, i had been pushed around all my life and felt at this moment that i could not take it anymore. I knew then when i read those words that we had to share these papers with the public for much broader viewers, and in this wonderful exhibit, through her own words, the 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, the very human, and the very real rosa parks. Her powerful story and her long fight for justice have always resonated with me, and as the first woman and the first africanamerican to serve as the librarian of congress, i take special pleasure in having the rosa parks collection housed here [applause] housed here in the Worlds Largest library, sidebyside with the papers of frederick douglass, abraham lincoln, mary church terrel, and thurgood marshall. Rosa parks lived a life dedicated to equal rights and social justice, and she helped change the country with examples she set. As a statue of rosa parks stands with pride in the capitol 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. He wrote a story about it, and his story was read and seen by mr. Howard buffett, who bought the papers and gave them to the library, so that they could be preserved, scanned, and seen by everyone. Jesse is now a scholar in residence in the library of congresss john w. Klugy center. That deserves a hand. [applause] the collection comprises 10,000 items drawn from both miss Parks Private life and her decades of work for civil rights. It includes photos and correspondence, handwritten reflections, private notes during the montgomery bus boycott, and the struggles she endured after. Adrienne, and our exhibit director, mr. David mandel, and his team, have curated a beautiful gallery that would tell miss parks story in her own words and photographs. So it is an honor to open the exhibition tomorrow to the general public on december 5, 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 librarys susan rayburn, and includes many of the photographs and documents you will see in the exhibition, and we are delighted to be joined by the people from the university of georgia press, who work with the librarys publishing office, to create this elegant companion piece. And we also are starting something new with this exhibition at the library of congress. For the first time, we are launching an ask a librarian mobile research station within the exhibition, and visitors will have the opportunity to right there in the exhibit delve deeply with online research, resources related to mrs. Park life through direction with the librarian. Before i go, i also have to acknowledge the generous donors who made this exhibition possible. The ford foundation, the katherine v. Reynolds foundation, and the reynolds are here, with Additional Support [applause] with support from aarp history, joyce and thomas morehead, who who are also here [applause] and the capital group. We cannot thank you enough for your generosity and for your of this exhibit. For your support of this exhibit. [applause] now as the curator, adrienne cannon explained 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] [applause] [video clip] and now, we are going to find out which of these ladies really is the incredible rosa parks. Will the real rosa parks please stand up . [applause] rosa parks is often taught as a sort of meek seamstress who one day sort of accidentally stumbles into history and refuses to give up her seat on the bus, launching the modern Civil Rights Movement, and that version, taught in schools and often celebrated nationally, very much distorts and limits who rosa parks actually was. Her activism starts two decades before her the story bus stand on december 1, 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 10, i met a little white boy named franklin on the road. He was about my size, maybe larger. He said something to me and he threatened to hit me. Rolled up his fists 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 went away. I love that, i mean, i love that, at 10, she knew the deep injustice of things. Perhaps the case that guts her the most is the case about a 16yearold by the name of jeremiah reeves. He was a high school student, jazz drummer, and delivered groceries and started having a relationship with a young white woman that got found out. She cried rape. She put him in the electric chair and told him if he did not confess, he would be electrocuted on the spot, so he gave his false confession. She began writing letters and trying to organize around blocking that execution, got dr. King involved, and it did not succeed, and he was executed, and she would tell me how devastating that was and 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 derived by an auto, i felt that i was lynched many times in mind and spirit. She was a believer that you had to dissent, that you had to voice your objections, even if you could not see that that would do any good. Rosa parks, like my mom, has her own definition of who she is, and she does not let anybody change that definition. Help plan for a better world of tomorrow by giving all 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, and i found that those were regular people. And so, i have always felt that, you know, a person does not have to be out of this world to accomplish something 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. And i just think we underestimate 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 in coming to terms with our real history, i think too often we find that most history is a sanitized, madison avenue version of it, but she is a lifelong activist, and she represents the variety of strategies to combat the persistent racism in the United States. I think it is important that we liberate rosa parks and liberate ourselves from the tyranny of the superficial history. Part harm and danger, the dark closet of my mind, so much to remember. And yes, it is somewhere in the dark closet of my mind, too. It cant help but be in the dark closet of your mind. You should never forget. There is so much to remember. But i 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] john good evening. Good evening. John you are a beautiful group. You look good. [laughter] john let me say to the librarian of congress, thank you. I dont want to cry tonight. But i may shed some tears. Thank you for opening this place to have this exhibit in honor of a savior of our country. Of our democracy. If it werent for rosa parks, [indiscernible] i dont know where i would be. I dont know where our nation would be. I dont know where we would be as a people. This woman, by sitting down, she encouraged so many others to stand up. Insisting many of us never then, many of us never looked back, and we will continue to look forward. Fred gray would tell you, my friend, my attorney, fred, you are an attorney for many of us. You probably have an unbelievable number of clients. People just came. We need your help. I grew up in rural alabama about 50 miles from montgomery. We round it off by saying 48 to 50 miles from montgomery. My father had been a sharecropper, a penny farmer. But in 1944, when i was four years old, and i do remember when i was four, my father had saved 300, and a man sold him 110 acres of land. We still own that land today. [applause] growing up [indiscernible] people lived in fear. We saw the signs that said 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 great grandparents, dont get in trouble. But rosa parks inspired us to get in trouble. And i have been getting in trouble ever since. [laughter] [applause] john she was saying in effect, 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 prepared a statement but i am not going to stay with it. I have been moved by the spirit. Hadnt been for rosa parks, growing up there, i dont know what would have happened to so many people. She inspired us too, finding a way to get in what i call good trouble, necessary trouble. I followed the drummer for gregory in montgomery. I followed your leadership. I followed the words of Martin Luther king junior, the action of rosa parks. We were too poor to have a subscription to the local newspaper, but my grandfather had one. Newspaperus finished and after he finished the newspaper, he would pass it on to us to read, so i read about you, reverend abernathy, and rosa parks. I kept saying to myself, if the people in montgomery can organize a standup we can stand , up and organize. So there was a Little College about eight or 10 miles from our home called troy state. Now known as troy university. It allowed black students. So i got a chance to get an application and apply it to go to the school. I never heard a word from the school, so i wrote a word to dr. Martin luther king, jr. And told him i needed his help. Because i had been inspired by rosa parks. Dr. King wrote me back and sent me a roundtrip Greyhound Bus ticket and invited me to come to montgomery to meet with him. I cannot forget it. Fred gray, you still look the same way, so young. [laughter] john met me at the Greyhound Bus station and drove me to the First Baptist church, pastored by the reverend abernathy, and ushered me in to the church. And i saw Martin Luther king jr. And reverend 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. [laughter] john 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 sitins, to study the way of peace, the way of love, to study the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. Again, i want to thank you. Madame librarian, i want to thank you for what you are doing to help educate and sensitize 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 when must save 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. Time to stand up, stand up. 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 believe. 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 think the library of congress. Thank the library of congress. Thank you. [applause] carla 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. [applause] 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 mrs. 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, miss jane gunter, and michelle miller. [applause] michelle 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. And i want you to describe her, that first moment you met her. Fred yes, maam. Michelle thank you, sir. Fred before i answer that question, thank you to 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 have the president of the national bar association. The National President is here. And 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. But we introduced him to dr. King, and it introduced him to the movement, and the rest of it is history. Now, what was your question . [laughter] michelle back to rosa parks. Fred yes. Michelle back to that day that you met her, how would you describe her . Fred i had met rosa parks not just on december 1, 1955, but i really at first met her when i was a student at what was then Alabama State college for negroes, not 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, 1940s, and 1950s could be. I found out that miss parks worked with the naacp. She also worked with e. D. Nixon, who was the 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 had been at the [indiscernible] 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, but 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. And 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 goin