67 years: Montgomery reflects on Rosa Parks, Bus Boycott and struggle against segregation
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Sixty-seven years ago, the crushing heel of racism had finally pushed down too far to bear for a 42-year-old Montgomery seamstress.
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was tired of the hatred that her city had fallen into — a legalized foolishness of segregation that had officially armed city bus drivers with police powers to enforce the separation of white and Black passengers.Parks wasn’t even violating the “law” on Dec. 1, 1955. At least not at first. She sat where she was supposed to, in the front of the "colored section." Still, bus driver J.F. Blake wanted to “equalize” the seating and ordered her and two others to the back.
As history has written thousands of times over, Parks didn’t move. She wasn’t the first Black woman to make this decision. Pregnant teen Claudette Colvin had done the same thing on March 2, 1955. But Parks’ arrest for violating segregation rules was the final straw on a collective haystack of racist oppression.
What followed was a wave of letters, meetings and courage as Black riders began boycotting Montgomery’s bus system, organized mainly by Jo Ann Robinson of the Women’s Political Council. People risked their lives by carpooling. Foot soldiers were joined by civil rights icons like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., E.D. Nixon, Fred Gray and, of course, Rosa Parks.
Some 40,000 Black bus riders demanded change. They demanded an end to segregation. They would not step foot onto a Montgomery bus from Dec. 5, 1955, to Dec. 20, 1956.
Eventually, both the Montgomery federal court and the U.S. Supreme Court found Montgomery’s segregation law violated the 14th Amendment — all citizens, regardless of race, have equal rights and equal protection under state and federal law.
Montgomery’s buses were integrated on Dec. 21, 1956, after 381 days of boycott.
Thursday, the 67th anniversary of Parks' arrest, is the start of several days of activities and events that honor Parks and the many others who dedicated and risked their lives to end segregation and make Montgomery a better place.
Learn more about this commemoration online at mgmbusboycott.com.
Thursday, Dec. 1
Free admission to the Rosa Parks Museum and Children's Museum: Join the Rosa Parks Museum, 253 Montgomery St., as it celebrates Rosa Parks Day on the 67th anniversary of her arrest. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Along with free admission, there will be arts and crafts, the original 1955 city bus, the Art of the River Region exhibit, a book talk with "Rosa Parks Beyond The Bus" author H.H. Leondards (featuring publisher Ladonna Boyd). Discussion with Leonards and Boyd begins at noon, followed by a reception and book signing. A Children's Art and Crafts Day will be held on the 2nd floor of the museum's Children's Wing.
Georgia Gilmore Food Giveaway: Starts at 9 a.m. at Metropolitan UMC, 3108 Rosa Parks Ave. This is an active way to honor the legacy of Georgia Gilmore, an amazing cook who ensured that many were fed during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Food will be distributed through a no-contact process. Anyone interested in volunteering to help should send an email to invo@metromgm.org. For more information, call 334-263-0950.
Montgomery Bus Boycott Exhibit: The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, 300 N. Court St., has a Montgomery Bus Boycott Exhibit curated by the Equal Justice Initiative. Admission is $5 for both EJI's museum and the Memorial for Peace and Justice. Both are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Quest: A Historical Self-guided Driving Tour: In your own way, on your own schedule, join the Montgomery Bus Boycott Challenge. The driving tour will take you to historic sites to learn about people and places that were key to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. A list of places to visit has been provided by the Montgomery Improvement Association and the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium. As you visit places, post to Facebook and use the hashtag #mgmbusboycottchallenge to be entered into a drawing to win a historical swag bag. A listing of all sites will be available online at mgmbusboycott.com.
Free tours of Rosa Parks' apartment: Dec. 1-3 and Dec. 5, the Montgomery Housing Authority is opening the doors for guests to tour the home of Rosa Parks, 660 Cleveland Court, in honor of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The items inside have been preserved or recreated to showcase where many important Civil Rights Movement meetings were held. Parks lived there from 1951 to 1957. Tours are available 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The apartment will be closed on Sunday. Schedule a free tour by calling 334-425-1348 or by visiting tinyurl.com/home634
Unity Walk to Celebrate Rosa Parks' Faith and Legacy in the Civil Rights Movement: At 5:30 p.m., a Unity Walk for Peace and Justice will begin at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, 454 Dexter Ave., and lead toward the Rosa Parks Museum.
Rosa Parks Community Convocation: At 7 p.m., a convocation and awards presentation will be held at St. Paul AME Church, 706 East Patton Ave. St. Paul AME is home church for Rosa Parks. Guest speaker will be Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Lead pastor is the Rev. Dr. Agnes M Lover.
Friday, Dec. 2
Montgomery Bus Boycott Exhibit at Legacy Museum: 300 N. Court St. Admission is $5 for both EJI's museum and the Memorial for Peace and Justice. Both are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free admission to the Rosa Parks Museum and Children's Wing: The Rosa Parks Museum, 253 Montgomery St., open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Quest: A Historical Self-guided Driving Tour: The driving tour will take you to historic sites key to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Free tours continue at Rosa Parks Apartment: Schedule a free tour by calling 334-425-1348 or by visiting tinyurl.com/home634
Saturday, Dec. 3
Montgomery Bus Boycott Exhibit at Legacy Museum: 300 N. Court St. Admission is $5 for both EJI's museum and the Memorial for Peace and Justice. Both are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free admission to the Rosa Parks Museum and Children's Wing: The Rosa Parks Museum, 253 Montgomery St., open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Quest: A Historical Self-guided Driving Tour: The driving tour will take you to historic sites key to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Free tours continue at Rosa Parks Apartment: Schedule a free tour by calling 334-425-1348 or by visiting tinyurl.com/home634
Sunday, Dec. 4
Montgomery Bus Boycott Exhibit at Legacy Museum: 300 N. Court St. Admission is $5 for both EJI's museum and the Memorial for Peace and Justice. Both are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Quest: A Historical Self-guided Driving Tour: The driving tour will take you to historic sites key to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Monday, Dec. 5
Free admission to Civil Rights Memorial Center: Located at the Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., the Civil Rights Memorial Center is offering free admission and the opportunity to see the Traveling While Black Exhibit. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 2019 FR film "Traveling While Black," directed by Roger Ross Williams, offers an immersive view of the dangers generations of Black people faced as they traveled through the United States. The exhibit transports guests to the booths and lunch counters at Ben's Chili Bowl to listen to honest narratives and historians who faced these dangers first-hand.
The Mass Meeting: A Time top Build Up — Equipping the Church in a New Civil Rights Era: Holt Street Baptist Church, 903 S. Holt St., will host "The Mass Meeting" at 6 p.m. in honor of the 67th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Featuring the Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson of Dare to Imagine Church Inc. and Dare to Imagine Community Development Corporation in Philadelphia. Presented by the City of Montgomery, Mayor Steven Reed, and the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights at Alabama State University.
We Create Change Pop-up Exhibit opening reception: An opening reception for the pop-up art exhibit at Kress on Dexter, 39 Dexter Ave., will be held on Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. The exhibit examines several areas of protest, including mass incarceration, Critical Race Theory, and voter suppression. The exhibition will feature conversations from artists and subject matter experts. It will run through Dec. 20.
Free admission to the Rosa Parks Museum and Children's Wing: The Rosa Parks Museum, 253 Montgomery St., open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Quest: A Historical Self-guided Driving Tour: The driving tour will take you to historic sites key to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Free tours continue at Rosa Parks Apartment: Schedule a free tour by calling 334-425-1348 or by visiting tinyurl.com/home634
Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery reflects on Bus Boycott 67 years after Rosa Parks’ arrest
