October 25, 2005

R.I.P. Rosa Parks "When Rosa Parks refused to get up, an entire race of people began to stand up for their rights as human beings. It was a simple act that took extraordinary courage in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955. It was a place where black people had no rights white people had to respect. It was a time when racial discrimination was so common, many blacks never questioned it. At least not out loud." Thank you Mrs. Parks, for your courage.
posted by waitingtoderail 19 years ago
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  • You said it waitingtoderail, thanks for the post. .
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  • Ah, she really made the cival rights movement happen by her very simple refusal to give up a seat. Thank whatever gods there be that it was reported in the national press. I'm sure she didn't crave being the icon she became, but who knows how long it would have taken for things to improve if she hadn't taken her stand. Blessings on you, Rosa.
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  • I hate that full stop thing. So I'll use words: I'm sorry that she has died. She was a brave woman.
  • I'd read an interesting article about Claudette Colvin (it wasn't the article in the link - can't find it) recently that taught me that Ms. Parks' decision to take a stand (by not standing) was perhaps more calculated than I had originally been led to believe, which only makes her all the more admirable in my eyes.
  • That's a lovely mugshot in your link, AC.
  • Very sorry to see her go.
  • Rosa Parks is someone I would like to have known. I bet she was quite a character. RIP Mrs. Parks.
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  • I'm going to sit down all day in tribute.
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  • Such a courageous lady, acting for both black rights and womens' rights. They don't make them like her anymore, and we're the poorer for it. RIP.
  • I have to wonder if she found the difficulty of constant public spectacle harder to deal with than the immediate firestorm she created after making her choice not to give up that seat. A well deserved rest, this.
  • . I'd like to know what happened to the guy that she refused to get up for. Apart from "he stood", obviously.
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  • What does the "." mean? And Rest in Peace, obviously.
  • Besides Coretta Scott King (who is very ill), who is still alive of the "old guard" of the early black civil rights movement?
  • She was a terrorist, and the Republican party welcomes the news of her death.
  • Looks like Claudette Colvin's wikipedia article needs work.
  • She was a terrorist, and the Republican party welcomes the news of her death. Not the place for this.
  • Though Wikipedia does link to that article I had in mind Trace
  • What does the "." mean? And Rest in Peace, obviously.
  • Thanks for those links, Abiezer_Coppe. As an American, I am ashamed to say that I had not heard of Claudette Colville. What tremendous courage they both had.
  • I always heard the "." was a moment of silence.
  • The "." to me was always period, the end, the end of a life, but in respect to their accomplishments.
  • In that case: .
  • She was a beautiful example of true courage and heroism. I hope her life continues to inspire and encourage!
  • The "." is a silent acknowledgement, like signing a funeral register without writing a message in it.
  • I met her at a bookstore I worked at in Los Angeles, when she did a booksigning back in 1993/4. I was amazed by her... this tiny little woman, who might have said about a dozen quiet words to anyone other than the people she was signing books for. I still have the book she signed for me, as well as a photograph of the bookstore staff with her. Quite an amazing woman. .
  • I try to remember Parks as a great example of how one person can make a difference, but how that one person, with the support of her family and community (such as the NAACP and other activist groups), can change the world.
  • arch1 - I think she did find it difficult... I remember later reading that she never wanted the spotlight or the attention that she received. She accepted it because she thought it had to be done. Someone had to take the stand, and she felt that everyone had chosen her as the representative. I met her when she was 71, and she looked like she could barely lift a grandchild, let alone a international cause.
  • Sorry, she was 81. It was Feb '94. I just looked at her autobiography.
  • hmmmmm Apple has a photo of Rosa Parks on its front page with the legend 'think different' on it ... Now I'm a massive Mac fan, but I think appropriating Rosa Park's death in this way for marketing purposes is a little sick ...
  • Rosa Parks didn't do nothin' but sit her black ass down.
  • Techsmith, I don't think it's that I fail to see the humor, but that there's no humor to view. Find a new community, please.
  • Oh come on.. it was a little bit funny.
  • Hmmm...well... no.
  • Okay, I thought it was a little bit funny.
  • And DDC, that is truly cringeworthy exploitation.
  • goetter, i'm all for tipping the sacred cows, but i found the Mac usage and the "ain't I irreverant" comment equally out of place here. maybe that's just me.
  • It's a movie quote. Chill out dude.
  • Think different. Get an iPod - just like everyone else.
  • Make whatever excuses you feel necessary; I'm not a "dude", but no worries; finally, my iRiver and I are, as always, mellow.
  • Okay, if iPod earbuds had been 'shopped onto that image of her sitting on the bus, now that would have been funny. Anyway, she helped make both my home state (Alabama) and my nation a better place. She was old, tired, and exploited. She deserves rest. RIP.