Today marks the second annual Rosa Parks day in the city of Montgomery, AL and the legendary Rosa Parks was honored with her very own statue. The holiday acknowledges the day she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat and moving to the back of the bus, and Sunday marked 64 years since that historic day.
According to CNN, events took place throughout the weekend, including the dedication of the statue, which took place on Sunday afternoon.
Mayor Steven Reed, who was recently elected as the city’s first African American mayor said, “Today, on the second official Rosa Parks Day, we honor a seamstress and a servant, one whose courage ran counter to her physical stature. She was a consummate contributor to equality and did so with a quiet humility that is an example for all of us.”
Governor Kay Ivey also spoke on the significance of the statue and said, “No person ever stood so tall as did Rosa Parks when she sat down.”
For those of us familiar with our black history, we know that on December 1st, 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested after she refused to give up her seat on the city bus to a white passenger. Instead of moving to the back of the bus like she was told, she stood her ground and refused to move.
Her refusal would lead to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was organized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and it would go on from December 5th, 1955, until December 20th, 1956.
Rosa Parks’ brave actions not only made her a hero locally in Montgomery but nationwide and made her Civil Rights icon
Check out the unveiling of the statue below:
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/01/us/rosa-parks-day-statue-trnd/index.html
TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
