CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

February 4, 1913 - October 24, 2005

Rosa Parks is remembered as the first lady of civil rights, for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. On December 1, 1955 Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her actions inspired leaders of the black community to organize the bus boycott, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The boycott lasted more than a year and finally ended when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional. It was a victory that cost Parks her job and changed the course of history. 

Today marks what would have been her 108th  birthday. 

The woman once described as a quiet seamstress didn’t need to be loud to be heard or make a difference. Parks remained a committed activist; working in the anti-apartheid movement, establishing a youth counseling center and leading the youth division of the NAACP in Montgomery, Alabama.

President Bill Clinton honored her with a Congressional Gold Medal and said her short bus ride went a long way for civil rights. Clinton added, “We must never forget the power of ordinary people to stand in the fire for the cause of human dignity.”

In 2004, Parks was diagnosed with dementia and died nearly a year later, at her home in Detroit at the age of 92. Three days later, all of the city buses in Montgomery and Detroit reserved their front seats with black ribbons in her honor, and remained that way until she was laid to rest.

Rosa Parks leaves a lasting legacy as one of our country’s most important historical figures.

I find this quote of hers resonates with me,

“Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.”

Park’s works and deeds have inspired many over the years and can continue in me and you. The best way to truly honor her memory is with action, in how we live our daily lives.

Learn more about Rosa Parks, whose story is often misrepresented :

• Watch the short, informative PBS report, Is the Rosa Parks Story True? 

• Did you know the Rosa Parks Bus is on display at a museum? thehenryford.com

• Watch the movie, The Rosa Parks Story, a biopic starring Angela Bassett and Cicely Tyson

• Read the book:  The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis 

• For kids: I am Rosa Parks, Brad Meltzer (Ordinary People Change the World Series) Available at: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Apple Books | Indie Bound