“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.”
“Each person must live their life as a model for others.”
~ Rosa Parks
Who is Rosa Parks?:
- Called the Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement
- Originally named Rosa Louise McCauley
- Born on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama
- Educated at Pine Level, Alabama until she was eleven
- Recieved her high school diploma in 1934
- Married Raymond Parks on December 18, 1932
- Raymond supported Rosa’s completion of her formal education
- Both Raymond and Rosa were involved in trying to free the “Scottsboro Boys”
- Raymond and Rosa worked in programs for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Color People), having joined in 1943
- Famous for refusing to give up her seat to white passengers in a bus on December 1st, 1955
- Charged with disorderly conduct and violating the chapter 6, section 11 segregation law of the Montgomery City Code
- Found guilty in 1955
- Boycott of buses organized by E.D. Nixon and the Women’s Political Council
- Martin Luther King, Jr. leads the committee Montgomery Improvement Association
- Boycott ends after 381 days on December 20th, 1956 when it is ruled Supreme Court that segregation on buses is illegal
- As a result thousands of people all over the country came together to protest for equal rights for all citizens
- Rosa Parks eventually moved to Detroit and co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development with Ms. Elaine Eason Steele in 1987
- The Institutes purpose is to help youth achieve their highest potential
- She was given over 40 honorary doctorate degrees
- She has been given hundreds of plaques, certificates, citations, awards and keys to many cities
- On September 1996 Rosa Parks was given the MEDAL OF FREEDOM, the highest award given to a civilian citizen, by President William J. Clinton, the forty second President of the United States of America.
- Rosa Parks passed away on October 24, 2005
Books By Rosa Parks:
- Rosa Parks: My Story: by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins
- Quiet Strength by Rosa Parks with Gregory J. Reed
- Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today’s Youth by Rosa Parks with Gregory J, Reed
- I AM ROSA PARKS by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins, for preschoolers
Here is more recently interview of Rosa Parks talking about the day she refused to give up her seat…
Here is an old interview of Rosa Parks talking about segregation…
What is she saying?:
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”
How often have we heard that when we decide to do something, there is nothing that can stand in our way. I think of it like jumping off of a cliff; once you jump and there is no going back, all you can do is accept the process and move forward from there. Rosa Parks did just that, once she made the decision to no longer be told her value or her status and went against the “rules” she was free falling. There is a certain freedom in the fall or the leap of trust in the higher purpose. It can be scary in itself, and I have no doubt that Rosa had some scary feelings along the way, but she decided and acted and went with it, with ultimately inspiring results.
Not everyone will get the results that she got, even the most famous leaders worked for years and years in order to achieve their goals, but the process of doing is really the most important step. I am thinking of Gandhi in particular, who spent most of his life leading his people into freedom, when I think of long term effort towards a goal. The lessons that I take away from Gandhi and Rosa Parks is to stay with what you feel is right and true and trust that the rest will take care of itself.
“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.”
Rosa Parks represents the part in all of us that wants to leave our mark on society; that wants to make a difference in the world. The most important issue effecting her life was freedom. She decided, because of her own determination not to allow fear to control her desire for freedom, that her freedom was more important than her fear, and challenged the status quo.
Though she acted because of her own need for freedom, I suspect what really motivated her to continue her course had more to do with working towards freedom for all people. The amount of support she received as a result of her one very brave act was profound and probably life altering for her and anyone involved. She recognized that her efforts, even if she didn’t see results in her lifetime, would influence people for years to come. She knew the value and taking a stand for what she believed in and I am sure that she was hated by many people who feared her strength.
The question remains is it better to be liked or is it better to be free?
“Each person must live their life as a model for others.”
Change is directly linked to what is influencing the environment. If there is a drought, people adapt or suffer. If there is good weather people go outside. If there is someone speaking up for someone else, others will follow. We all have the ability to have a positive influence on each other. It does require a consistent effort to look at your own attitude, what you bring to the table and the desire to exam your point of view.
What would you change in society if you thought you could?:
Sources:
http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/featured-biography/rosa-parks.jsp
http://www.rosaparks.org/bio.html
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/rosa_parks.html
