ROSA PARKS CARRIED THE TORCH OF FREEDOM AND EQUALITY

By: David Nalin

Each year as school bells ring and children open their history books they hear the story of Rosa Parks. What they read and hear is how her one brave act was a key turning point in the fight for Civil Rights in the United States. It is certain that no matter how well the teacher explains it they will not grasp how bold Rosa Parks was. In reality, only those who were there at the time can understand. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to learn about Rosa Parks and how she became known as the Mother of the Modern Civil Rights Movement.

On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks followed her normal routine. She worked a long hard day as a seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama and headed to the bus stop to begin her ride home. At the time, segregation laws required that blacks enter the front of the bus to pay their fare, exit the bus, and reenter the back of the bus. They were only allowed to sit in a section in the rear of the bus that was reserved for blacks. If the front of the bus were full, blacks were to give up their seats. On this particular day Rosa Parks was tired of the injustice and decided that this was not the day that she would give up her seat. Unfortunately, refusing this was considered a criminal offense that was punishable by fine.

Rosa was not the first black woman to refuse to give up her seat to a white man. For a variety of reasons, however, she was the first that decided to test the law. She had the backing of the local N.A.A.C.P. for which she had been a volunteer. She also had the help of a young minister named Dr. Martin Luther King. When the authorities decided to pursue the case, Rosa and the N.A.A.C.P. took their stand. Also taking a stand was the black community at large who organized what was to become a very long boycott of the bus system. Rosa Parks was convicted but the boycott has started to get the public’s attention.

Rosa and her legal team determined that this was the time to take a stand. The case eventually went to the Supreme Court on the basis of unconstitutionality and Rosa Parks won. As a result, the segregation laws of Alabama were overturned and a whole new era in the battle for Civil Rights began.

Rosa Parks’ life was far from over after the fight over giving up her seat on the bus was done. In fact she lived for another 49 years. The early years after the case were not easy. She and her husband moved several times and eventually settled in Detroit, Michigan. She worked for many years for U.S. Representative John Conyers. She also continued to work for causes including Planned Parenthood. She founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Center for Self Development. She was also the victim of a violent burglary. She died in 2005 at the age of 92.

Rosa Parks’ story needs to continue to be told. Perhaps one day a small child will hear it and will truly understand the sacrifices that were made in order to earn them freedom. And maybe, just maybe, this child will be inspired to carry on in Rosa’s footsteps by carrying the torch of heroism that Rosa picked up on December 1, 1955.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

Rosa Parks, named The Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement, was an African-American woman born in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1913. She is most well known for her stand against racial segregation on public buses in Montgomery, Alabama. Learn more about this extraordinary woman.

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