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October 25, 2005
A Tribute to Grace and Courage
From Alesia, with the greatest respect
Rosa Parks, the black seamstress whose refusal to give her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man sparked a revolution in American race relations, died on Monday at age 92. She is mourned by a nation who owes her a great deal.
At what point do we stand up for what is right? At what point do we say “Enough!” and put aside our fear, our exhaustion, and – yes – the thought of the inconvenience we might face if we don’t just fall in line. Go along to get along. Be sheep.
That day on December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks was tired from a long day of work. But she was more tired of the persistent abuse, mistreatment, and discrimination she’d faced throughout her life. Being told “Sorry, you didn’t pass” the blatantly discriminatory voting examinations. “Sorry, you can’t vote.”
Not just once, but twice. “Sorry, you can’t vote.”
“Sorry, you can’t sit here.”
"Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it," writes Parks in her book, Quiet Strength, (Zondervan Publishing House, 1994). "I kept thinking about my mother and my grandparents, and how strong they were. I knew there was a possibility of being mistreated, but an opportunity was being given to me to do what I had asked of others."
The rest of Parks' story is American history...her arrest and trial, and then an amazing display of courage and grace: the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott. I’ve watched a documentary about that boycott, and I watched with tears running down my face. In awe of the courage. Wondering if I’d have been strong enough. Hoping that I would have been.
Finally, the Supreme Court handed down its landmark ruling in November 1956 that segregation on transportation is unconstitutional. Finally. 1956. The decision was triumphant. The late date of it was shameful.
Thank you, Rosa Parks. I’m sure that in heaven you’re sitting wherever you darn well please.
Alesia
Posted by Alesia at 10:08 AM
