I'm a history lover. In fact I am passionate about it. One of the great things about history is that it reminds us of events which teach us a great deal about ourselves.
I have recently been reminded of Rosa Parks. If this name means nothing to you I urge you to read on.
She was born in 1913 and died in 2005. This means that in the year she became famous, she was about 42. Back then in 1955, as unbelievable as it sounds, the law in places like Alabama stated that black people must give up their seats on buses to white people.
Rosa refused. She was arrested for her action and lost her job because of it but what she did sparked a protest movement called the Montgomery bus boycott and for a year, black people refused to use the buses in Montgomery which crippled the system since they were the main passengers.
The successful protest led to the U.S. supreme court ruling that segregated buses were unconstitutional.
She was a very brave lady. She famously said that
"When that white driver stepped back toward us, when he waved his hand
and ordered us up and out of our seats, I felt a determination cover my
body like a quilt on a winter night."
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