Rosa Louise Parks: February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005

[terriblelynne]

Thank you, Miss Rosa
You were the spark
You started our freedom movement
Thank you, Sister Rosa Parks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks

Comments

[koppermoon.livejournal.com]

Good to hear she had a long full life. She inspired millions, including my aunt, who ran a "Freedom School" in Mississippi one summer.

Inspiration

[zargon.livejournal.com]

it's just sad that she needed to.

Re: Inspiration

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

People sucking is unfortunately the way of most of the world, until someone does something about it.

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

*grin* That is so cool.

[ladydreamtime.livejournal.com]

I don't know what to say, other than bless the lady ...

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

Absolutely. It sounds like it was a long, full life with a lot of good done in it.

[chungjik.livejournal.com]

I heard this on the news last night. I'm still kind of depressed. I had hoped to meet her some day.

I'm burning sage in her memory tonight

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

I'm actually racking my brain, trying to remember if I might have met her as a child. I've met Coretta Scott King, among others, and there is a picture of my sister, as an infant, in Dr. King's arms, which I adore.

[chungjik.livejournal.com]

Wow! I'd love to see it sometime if you have access to a scanner. Save that picture!

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

I'll have to find it and make sure I still have a copy...my sister or aunt may have it.

[rainking1.livejournal.com]

there is a picture of my sister, as an infant, in Dr. King's arms, which I adore.

Really? That's too cool. And how did you meet Mrs. King?

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

My family knew the Kings from school (one of the advantages of there only being one black high school in Atlanta in the 40s). I think I'd met her before when I was younger but I remember being pointedly introduced to her at a luncheon of some sort in my teens. I have a funny theatre piece about my Auntie Sis getting her first kiss from Martin.

[wolfiehowler.livejournal.com]

I will add my own tiny flame to the pyre in the rememberance of her life.

A tired woman who was just too bull headed to let a stupid male tell her where she could or couldnt sit..

you go girl..

Wolfie

[chungjik.livejournal.com]

Well put! I love it

[burgundy.livejournal.com]

There's a little more to it than that - she wasn't just too tired, she was already active in the NAACP, for example. More good information here: http://www.slate.com/id/2128752/

On the one hand, there's something appealing about the idea of history turning on almost accidental events, but I think I like the real story better, if only because furthering the accidental narrative seems disempowering. She was an active, knowledgeable woman, not a pawn of fate or greater forces.

[terriblelynne.livejournal.com]

Thanks for adding that. :-) I never at all thought she was unaware of the
weight of her decision there...it's just that she was a "normal" person
who made a choice that ended up having huge consequences, and not some
kind of great community leader or whatever at the time, and that's what I
like about her. It took _something_ to spark her willingness to do what she did, instead of her just going, "well, I belong to these organizations and all, but there's nothing I can really do to change anything", which is how a lot of other people would have thought. And I can easily see that activist bent mixed with the feelings of a tired (on many levels) person who was not going to give up her well-deserved bus seat.

People refer to Corazon Aquino as having been "just a homemaker" before
running for President, but I'm very sure she was an intelligent,
informed, educated person as well. I don't know enough about her to know what catalyzed her willingness to act, but I'm sure there was something.



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