Senator Harry Reid led the press conference with, Senators Debbie Stabenow, Roland Burris and Representatives John Conyers, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick and Jesse Jackson, Jr. who joined Elaine Steele, Co-Founder of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development and Gerald Prolman, organic industry pioneer and Legacy Ambassador of the Institute, to recognize the anniversary of the birthday of Rosa Parks, whose courage inspired the Civil Rights movement over five decades ago.

The Institute recognized members of the United States Congress for their work to help honor her life and legacy. Mrs. Steele presented the Senators and Representatives with a beautiful long stem rose bouquet, certified sustainably grown by VeriFlora that was fittingly named for Rosa Parks; “Freedom, a rose in honor of Rosa Parks”.

Floral industry veteran Gerald Prolman initiated the organization of this tribute to Rosa Parks at the Capitol on behalf of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development.

Prolman was the final speaker at the Capitol press conference where he spoke about the qualities of the Freedom rose and the background of how the rose was named for Rosa Parks with special use permission by Rosen Tantau the breeder and owner of the Freedom rose variety. In 2007 Prolman conceived and orchestrated the naming of the rose for Rosa Parks.

“In addition to Mrs. Parks being recognized as the Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement, lesser known is the fact that she was an avid environmentalist.

I thought the qualities of this rose in combination with being grown sustainably, best reflected the spirit of Rosa Parks.” said Prolman

Prolman explained to the media and guests at the press conference that the roses having been sustainably grown by Nevado Ecuador and certified by VeriFlora, “assures environmental protection and fair labor practices”.

All the Freedom roses for this event were generously donated by Roberto Nevado, Founder and John Nevado, President of Nevado Ecuador, an international industry leader in sustainable and high quality rose production that is broadly known as the foremost eco-certified rose farm in the world.

About Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks received world-wide acclaim when, on December 1, 1955, she refused the orders of a bus driver in Montgomery, Alabama to surrender her seat to a white male passenger. Her subsequent arrest sparked a 381-day Bus Boycott led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leading to the 1956 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. Mrs. Parks received hundreds of awards, including the President's Medal of Freedom in 1996, and is distinguished in history books as the “Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement”. Rosa Parks is the first woman to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol and will be the first African American to have a full statue in Statuary Hall at the U. S. Capitol.

About The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development

The Institute co-founded by Rosa Parks and Ms. Elaine Steele is a charitable, educational 501C3 that encourages youth to reach their highest potential through the Rosa Parks philosophy of "Quiet Strength" which incorporates life skills that demonstrate dignity with pride, courage with perseverance and power with discipline in a comfortable environment of peace.

The Institute sponsors intergenerational programming, voter education, environmental justice programs, peace prayer services, water rights and conflict resolution dialogue that has motivated youth and adults around the world to honor Mrs. Parks' virtues of quiet strength, freedom, and justice for all. Rosa Parks saw the energy of young people as a real force for change before the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It was among her most treasured priorities. Visit www.RosaParks.org to learn about the Institute and their signature program, Pathways to Freedom.

About Mrs. Elaine Steele:

Elaine Eason Steele co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development with Rosa Parks in 1987. The two shared a vision that every child deserved to live up to their highest potential and also shared a passion for civil rights and the courage to do something about it.

For many years as a volunteer Executive Assistant to Mrs. Parks, Elaine Steele traveled and coordinated all appearances for Dr. Parks with leaders, heads of state and organizations throughout the world. She gained national recognition as the co-founder and developer of the Pathways to Freedom program that traces the Underground Railroad through the Civil Rights movement and beyond.

Elaine Eason Steele has received several program and citizen awards from churches and organizations in recognition for her work and commitment to Education and Human Rights. She is honored to have been selected to receive awards from the President of the United States and Honorary Doctorate Degrees on behalf of Dr. Rosa Parks

About the “Freedom, a rose in honor of Rosa Parks”

Freedom®, a rose in honor of Rosa Parks, was conceived by Gerald Prolman, an organic agriculture industry pioneer, founder of the nation's first organic floral company and currently the CEO of Wildlife Works, an apparel brand that supports wildlife conservation, community development and environmental stewardship in rural Africa. Gerald Prolman was recently appointed a Legacy Ambassador of the Institute.

Nevado Ecuador, an international leader in high quality, eco-rose production, is a family run flower farm with 600 employees that produces certified organic and sustainably grown roses under both the Fair Trade standard, which ensures care for the planet and mankind, and certified sustainably grown under VeriFlora®, an agricultural sustainability certification and eco-labeling program recognized as the gold-standard in the floriculture and horticulture industries. The farm is located south of Quito at 9,000 ft elevation near the Cotopaxi volcano and produces several million stems of Freedom roses annually. www.nevadoroses.com

Mr. Christian Evers, President of Rosen Tantau, the world-renowned rose breeder and owner of the successful Freedom® rose variety, granted special use permission to name this rose to honor Rosa Parks. The Freedom rose is widely regarded as one of the finest quality roses in the world, known for its vibrant red color, abundant petals, minimal thorns and long-lasting vase life.

The VeriFlora program is administered by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a global third-party certifier of environmental, sustainability and agricultural product quality claims.

Source: The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development