Thank you, Rosa Parks

“Without vision, the people will perish, and without courage and inspiration, dreams will die—the dream of freedom and peace.”   —Rosa Parks, 1988

When Rosa Parks died Oct. 24, she was remembered most for a single act of courage—refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Her quiet defiance in the face of intimidation and Jim Crow laws became the spark that stoked the civil rights movement, leading to the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott and eventually to the passage of federal legislation outlawing segregation.

These were times of passion and commitment—with Martin Luther King Jr. emerging as a leader, and countless Americans risking their lives, jobs and liberty to change the landscape of a racist South.

The AFT joined in, passing a resolution at its 1956 convention expelling segregated locals. When eight Southern locals refused to integrate, the AFT revoked their charters.

These acts, and Parks’ dignified stand for freedom and equality, were not isolated incidents. They were part of a larger movement fueled by ordinary Americans who believed in fighting for a just society.

AFT president Edward J. McElroy calls Parks, who has become the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, an inspiration for those who continue that fight. She “will be remembered as one of our most courageous and inspiring activists, whose one small, defiant action changed history.”

Dec. 1 marks the 50th anniversary of Parks’ historic act. See "Where To Find It" for more information.