Have you ever had to be told to move to the back of the bus because of your race?
Well plenty of African Americans have. There has been only one woman in history that finally said no, refused to give her seat up and that was none other than Rosa Louise Parks.
December 1st, 1955, was the day that Rosa Parks became famous for not giving her seat up to allow a white passenger to sit. All she was, was tired from a hard day of work and just wanted to rest. This act of civil disobedience (the refusal to obey certain laws or demands of the government or someone with a higher power without resorting to physical violence) started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was one of the largest movements of racial segregation (separation of different races in an everyday life).
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political protest trying to oppose the city’s policy of race on the public transit. It lasted 381 days (December 5th, 1955, to December 20th, 1956). The boycott resulted in the U.S civil rights movement (movements in the United States which are aimed at the abolishment of racial discrimination). Ninety percent of African Americans in Montgomery took part of the boycott, which reduced the bus revenues 60%.
On the night of Rosa Parks' arrest, Jo Ann Robinson, head of the Women's Political Council printed and circulated a flyer throughout Montgomery's black community which read as follows:
"Another woman has been arrested and thrown in jail because she refused to get up out of her seat on the bus for a white person to sit down. It is the second time since the Claudette Colvin case that a Negro woman has been arrested for the same thing. This has to be stopped. Negroes have rights too, for if Negroes did not ride the buses, they could not operate. Three-fourths of the riders are Negro, yet we are arrested, or have to stand over empty seats. If we do not do something to stop these arrests, they will continue. The next time it may be you, or your daughter, or mother. This woman's case will come up on Monday. We are, therefore, asking every Negro to stay off the buses Monday in protest of the arrest and trial. Don't ride the buses to work, to town, to school, or anywhere on Monday. You can afford to stay out of school for one day if you have no other way to go except by bus. You can also afford to stay out of town for one day. If you work, take a cab, or walk. But please, children and grown-ups, don't ride the bus at all on Monday. Please stay off all buses Monday."
Rosa Parks was a very important person in the changing of the respect for blacks; her bravery left us one step closer to being completely free of racial differences.
Rosa Parks lived a wonderful long life, passing away October 24th 2005, her remembrance and works to make this world a better place will live on forever.
