House Resolution 45

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING MRS. MARY LOUISE SMITH-WARE FOR HER REMARKABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

WHEREAS, Mrs. Mary Louise Smith-Ware, an unheralded heroine of the Civil Rights Movement, was instrumental in ending segregation by volunteering to legally challenge segregation in Montgomery, Alabama; and

WHEREAS, a resident of Montgomery, Alabama, where she was born in 1937 to her loving parents, the late Frank and Alberta Smith, Mrs. Smith-Ware graduated from St. Jude Educational Institute; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith-Ware, on October 21, 1955, at the age of 18, was returning home on the city line bus in Montgomery when she was ordered to relinquish her seat to a white passenger, and upon her refusal, was arrested and jailed for failure to obey segregation orders; and

WHEREAS, it is notable that Mrs. Smith-Ware's arrest was some 40 days prior to the arrest of Rosa Parks, who was also arrested and jailed for a similar incident; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith-Ware volunteered to become a plaintiff in the landmark federal class action suit of Browder vs. Gayle, which was filed on February 1, 1956, by attorneys Fred Gray and Charles Langford; and

WHEREAS, the law suit claimed that the City of Montgomery, the State of Alabama, and the National City Bus Lines were operating city buses in violation of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution; and

WHEREAS, in addition to Mrs. Smith-Ware, there were also four other heroine plaintiffs who were jailed for similar incidents and they are as follows: 33-year-old Aurelia Browder, 77-year-old Susie McDonald, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin and Jeanette Reese; and

WHEREAS, on December 20, 1956, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Browder vs. Gayle unanimously upholding the ruling of a lower court that legally ended the practice of racial and all forms of discrimination; and

WHEREAS, due to the brave actions of Mrs. Smith-Ware, the State of Alabama and eventually the entire country was forced to recognize and respect the American ideal of equality, fair treatment, equal justice and due process of law, regardless of race, national origin, creed, gender or religion; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize the contributions of outstanding individuals such as Mrs. Smith-Ware whose brave and legendary actions in the Civil Rights Movement not only benefited African Americans but every American of this great country:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend Mrs. Mary Louise Smith-Ware for her groundbreaking contributions in the Civil Rights Movement and extend warmest wishes for continued success in all of her future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mrs. Mary Louise Smith-Ware and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.