On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus. She was sitting in the so-called colored section of the bus, but according to the law was required to give up her seat if the white section was full. Her singular act of resistance inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott, considered the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement, and ushered in Martin Luther King Jr.’s debut on the national stage. Rosa Parks’ protest earned her the title “The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”
Inspired by Rosa Parks’ resolve, a Braintree woman worked to pay homage to the civil rights icon with her own initiative – a new Massachusetts law requiring all MBTA buses to carry a decal honoring Parks.
Guests:
Natalie Ornell - who conceived the idea of the tribute. She is currently in a graduate teacher preparation program at Lesley University.
Tanisha Sullivan – President of theNAACP Boston Branch.
Russell Holmes - Massachusetts State Representative for the Sixth Suffolk District.
