Notwithstanding the fact that we are living in the 21st century, race and racism are still an issue. There is still a long way to go to reach equality among people of all color and sex. What is important is to be aware of this problem and do our best to contribute to this change in the peope's way of thinking. And what better way to do that then taking inspiration from people from the past who, with an act of bravery, changed the attitude of the people and their minds. One of such people is Rosa Parks.
The Identity of Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born on February 4, 1913 in Alabama. She married Raymond Parks in 1932 who urged her to complete her high school studies - at a time when very few African Americans had a high-school diploma. Moreover, at the time of their marriage, he was part of the NAACP - the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1943, she started to work for this association and was later elected secretary, becoming the only woman to work there. She did many different jobs during her life. She work also as a housekeeper for a white family who encouraged her to study at the Highlander Folk School - a training school for emerging and existing activists.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott started the day after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to accommodate a white person. In fact, in Montgomery, since 1900, some laws were passed that regulated the bus rides. Black people were granted only some seats on back of the bus - notwithstanding the fact that they made up the majority of the ridership. If there were more white people than seats, black passengers were supposed to give up their seats. Since black people were not allowed to stand near the area where white people were sitting, they were often forced to leave to bus altogether.
Rosa Parks' act of refusing to give up her seat to a white person inspired the black community to fight for their rights and to defeat the unconstitutional laws that segregated buses. This was achieved in 1956 when the Supreme Court declared these laws unfair in Alabama and Montgomery. Rosa Parks' courage was the starting point of a fight for equal rights for people of all sexes and color. She had definitely inspired following generations and her legacy keeps on spurring present day people to make their voices be heard.
