A day after representatives for Rosa Parks announced that she was considering a possible lawsuit against Outkast, the respected rap duo has come forward and issued a response to the accusations that they exploited the use of her name in the song "Rosa Parks."

In their statement, Outkast say that: "Rosa Parks has inspired our music and our lives since we were children. The opportunity to use our music to help educate young people about the heroes in the African-American community is one of the responsibilities we feel we have as music artists. It was nor ever has been our intention to defame a woman who we consider a role model and a civil rights pioneer. We hope to be able to work out this situation amicably."

The group has also retained its own lawyer, a former chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, in case the dispute (see "Rosa Parks Upset At Outkast For Unauthorized Use Of Her Name") forces both parties into a trial.

LaFace Records, Outkast's label, has also issued its own response to the allegations. "Both the label and Outkast have enormous respect for Ms. Parks and the accomplishments and contributions she has made to the Civil Rights Movement," wrote LaFace General Manager Dorsey James. "We are actively working to inform Ms. Parks' representatives of our deep dismay concerning this situation and bring it to an expeditious and amicable close."

Outkast is currently opening for Lauryn Hill, whose tour is scheduled to play the Wang Center in Boston on Wednesday and Thursday night.