• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • New York
  • Latin
  • Culture
  • Magazine
  • Things To Do in NYC
  • Travel
  • Subscribe
  • Sponsor
New York Latin Culture Magazine®

New York Latin Culture Magazine®

World-class Indigenous, European & African Culture since 2012

  • Art
  • Books
  • Dance
  • Fashion
  • Festivals
  • Film
  • Food
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Theatre

Remember Rosa Parks, the Mother of the Freedom Movement!

Rosa Parks was an iconic American civil rights leader of the 1950s and beyond who is remembered as the Mother of the Freedom Movement.

Her simple act of politely refusing to give up her seat in the “Colored” section of a Montgomery, Alabama public bus, to a White person in 1955, was the spark that launched the U.S. civil rights movement.

The discipline, dignity and courage of civil rights leaders of that era cannot be overstated. She is an example for us all because the work isn’t done, yet.

Rosa Parks

Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913.

From childhood, she was very good with needle and thread. Parks worked as a seamstress and was also the secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

“I Don’t Think I Should Have to Stand Up”

After a day of work on December 1, 1955, Parks took the bus from downtown Montgomery. She sat in the “Colored” section. When the “White” section filled up, the driver insisted that she move to the back of the bus. It’s hard to imagine today, but that’s how it was, once upon a time in America.

All she did was to remain seated and politely say, “I don’t think I should have to stand up.” She later reported being inspired by thinking of Emmett Till, the child who was brutally lynched in Mississippi earlier in 1955, and whose open casket shocked the world.

The bus driver had her arrested. Parks maintained her dignity through the entire process. She kept her cool and that was key. Her dignity made her unassailable. That’s a lesson for us today.

Parks was convicted of of disorderly conduct and fined $14. That’s about $150 dollars today.

Rosa Parks and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. around 1955 (PD/Wikimedia)
Rosa Parks and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. around 1955 (PD/Wikimedia)

Within days, a young Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It was an important step on his path to greatness.

The next year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation is unconstitutional.

Rosa Parks Changed the World by Keeping Her Cool

Parks moved north to get away from racism in the American South. She went on to become a congressional staff member. She was active in her church and continued to work to promote civil rights. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999.

Rosa Parks died of old age in Detroit in 2005.

There are many stories about the legendary woman. One thing that stands out about her character is that she always kept her cool. It’s a lesson for us today.

Keep your cool and you just might change the world.


Published December 28, 2022 | Updated January 2, 2023.

Filed Under: African American, People

Primary Sidebar

Colombian Salsa

Pablo Mayor Folklore Urbano NYC "El Barrio Project" (courtesy)

The Pablo Mayor Folklore Urbano Orchestra Plays Colombian Salsa for Uptown Nights at Harlem Stage

RISE Theatre Directory

Find your next project. Discover your next team. Do it on RISE. Find your next project. Discover your next team. Do it on RISE.

Things to Do in NYC

Things to do in NYC in September 2023

Things to do in NYC in October 2023

Things to do in NYC in November 2023

Things to do in NYC in December 2023

Footer

Search

Sponsor

New York City's leading cultural organizations sponsor New York Latin Culture Magazine™

Subscribe

Subscribe to New York Latin Culture Magazine's weekly email.

Follow

New York

Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island

Latin

Art, Books, Comedy, Dance, Fashion, Food, Festivals, Film, Music, Parades, Theatre, Sports

North American

African American, Belizian, Costa Rican, French Canadian, Guatemalan, Honduran, Indigenous, Jewish, Mexican, Nicaraguan, Panamanian, Salvadoran

Caribbean

Antiguan, Bahamanian, Barbadian, Cuban, Dominica, Dominican, Grenadian, Haitian, Indigenous, Jamaican, Jewish, Puerto Rican, Kittitian Nevisian, Saint Lucian, Trinidadian, Vincentian

South American

Argentine, Bolivian, Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian, Costa Rican, Ecuadorian, Guyanese, Indigenous, Jewish, Paraguayan, Peruvian Surinamese, Uruguayan, Venezuelan

European

French, Italian, Jewish, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian

African

African American, Senegalese, Gambian, Bissau-Guinean, Sierra Leonean, Liberian, Ivorian, Ghanaian, Togolese, Beninese, Nigerian, Equatoguinean, São Toméan, Gabonese, Congolese, Angolan

Asian

Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Jewish, Romani

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy

Copyright © 2012–2023 New York Latin Culture Magazine®. All Rights Reserved. New York Latin Culture Magazine® and Tango Beat® are registered trademarks, and New York Latin Culture™ is a trademark of Keith Widyolar. Other marks are the property of their respective holders.