She was tired on that Thursday evening when she boarded the bus for home. As she sat in the middle of the section labeled "Whites Only," she is thinking about what to cook for dinner that night and what a rough day she had on the job. As the bus continues on its route, she is looking out of the window and thinking how much she hates the segregation laws. She also thinks about her work over the years fighting for civil rights. She looks up and notices that the "Whites Only" section is full now and more white people have just boarded. She knows at some point she will have to give up her seat to a white person. The driver orders all of the black people to move to the back of the bus, no one moves at first until the driver yells again and they comply...everybody except her. She is not an aggressive or defiant person by nature but she has finally had enough of being treated like a second class citizen. This is America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. The driver repeatedly shouts at her to move back and she still refuses. The driver is now visibly angry, he slams on the brakes gets out of his seat and stomps over to her and demands that she move. She still refuses to move. The driver then exits the bus and returns a few moments later with a policeman. She is immediately arrested for violating the segregation laws.
I was very sad to hear of the death of this great lady. Not only did she pioneer the civil rights movement, she also had the courage to stand up for what she believes in not matter what the cost. I am appalled that this country even had segregation laws. This country was founded on Christian principles and the belief that all people are created equal in the sight of God. I think that our founding fathers did not have segregation in mind and were rolling over in their graves. I guess the lawmakers at that time forget that little detail or simply decided to overlook it when imposing segregation. You think? We are human after all, born to make mistakes.
I remember the final scene in the film "The Long Walk Home." The two main characters (one black, one white) were standing together hand in hand behind the yellow line and people shouting at them, "Walk Nigger Walk!" Every time I watch a movie or read a book about the civil rights movement, I am constantly appalled at how we as white people have treated black people over the years. It is this hatefulness and ignorance that has continued to spawn the racism in this country. Although things have changed significantly since Mrs. Parks's day, I am sometimes ashamed to be white. However, I realize, we cannot control the actions and spoken words of others we can ONLY control ourselves.
