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Featured Letter
By Sen. Judy Robson
Don't be afraid to oppose social injustice
Rosa Parks took a stand while sitting down.
She refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, a flagrant violation of the customs of segregated Montgomery, Ala. on Dec. 1, 1955.
Though she couldn't have known it at the time, her simple act of defiance set off a 381-day boycott of the municipal bus system and invigorated the civil rights movement throughout the South.
Most people know that much about Rosa Louise Parks. What they don't know is that Parks worked for the cause of civil rights both before and after her arrest on a bus that day in 1955. She was the secretary of her local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and after she moved to Detroit, Mich., she remained active in the civil rights movement through her foundation, the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development.
In Montgomery, she worked as a seamstress. In Detroit, she worked for 20 years on the staff of Congressman John Conyers. In 1999, she received the Congressional Medal of Honor for her civil rights work.
Rosa Parks passed away on Oct. 24, 2005 at the age of 92. With her death, America lost an icon of the civil rights movement. Her quiet dignity and bravery will be forever remembered.
Dec. 1st will mark the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' legendary one-woman bus protest. In tribute to her role in American history, the State Senate will pass a resolution honoring her life and legacy. I am a co-author of this resolution.
Parks' life shows the power of individual actions. One person courageously standing up to oppose injustice can truly make a difference. One person's stand for justice can be just as important as a mass movement in bringing about social reform.
During the course of our lives, if we remember Parks' brave act of protest, we should not be afraid to oppose injustice in our own ways.
The end of legalized segregation was not the first battle nor the last in the march of progress. Discrimination and injustice are alive today. We should all follow Rosa Parks' example.
Because there's still more work to be done, as she herself said.
Senator Robson represents Beloit and the Stateline Area in the Wisconsin Senate.
Rosa Parks took a stand while sitting down.
She refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, a flagrant violation of the customs of segregated Montgomery, Ala. on Dec. 1, 1955.
Though she couldn't have known it at the time, her simple act of defiance set off a 381-day boycott of the municipal bus system and invigorated the civil rights movement throughout the South.
Most people know that much about Rosa Louise Parks. What they don't know is that Parks worked for the cause of civil rights both before and after her arrest on a bus that day in 1955. She was the secretary of her local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and after she moved to Detroit, Mich., she remained active in the civil rights movement through her foundation, the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development.
In Montgomery, she worked as a seamstress. In Detroit, she worked for 20 years on the staff of Congressman John Conyers. In 1999, she received the Congressional Medal of Honor for her civil rights work.
Rosa Parks passed away on Oct. 24, 2005 at the age of 92. With her death, America lost an icon of the civil rights movement. Her quiet dignity and bravery will be forever remembered.
Dec. 1st will mark the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' legendary one-woman bus protest. In tribute to her role in American history, the State Senate will pass a resolution honoring her life and legacy. I am a co-author of this resolution.
Parks' life shows the power of individual actions. One person courageously standing up to oppose injustice can truly make a difference. One person's stand for justice can be just as important as a mass movement in bringing about social reform.
During the course of our lives, if we remember Parks' brave act of protest, we should not be afraid to oppose injustice in our own ways.
The end of legalized segregation was not the first battle nor the last in the march of progress. Discrimination and injustice are alive today. We should all follow Rosa Parks' example.
Because there's still more work to be done, as she herself said.
Senator Robson represents Beloit and the Stateline Area in the Wisconsin Senate.
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