Another Hero Passes
The woman who made sitting down a revolutionary act has passed. Rosa Parks, the spark and inspiration for the US Civil rights movement, died yesterday at the age of 92 at her home in Detroit.Her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger in Montgomery Alabama in 1955 gave birth to the Civil Rights movement and led Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to prominence during the 381-day bus boycott.
Her act?
When asked by a bus driver to give up her seat for a white passenger, Mrs. Parks simply said:
"No."
The driver threatened her "Well by God, I'm going to have you arrested."
"You may do that."
She was arrested and fined $14. Probably the best $14 anyone has ever spent. As Malcom Gladwell would say, that act was the tipping point - within 10 years the Civil Rights Act was passed and Jim Crow was being dismantled. All because she refused to be a party to injustice anymore.
Thank you Mrs. Rosa. Thank you.
posted by Mike @ 10:51 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Truly a sad even. As I said to Candace, it's amazing how something as simple as sitting down on a bus can make a person remembered in history and change a nation for the better.
***event***
Yes, sad. I expect she should have a President or two at her funeral service, if they let Bush in the door.
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