How to Celebrate the Life of Rosa Parks

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:CelebrateLifeRosaParks
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How to Celebrate the Life of Rosa Parks

Introduction

Rosa Parks gained worldwide fame for a single gesture in 1955. But the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" had worked quietly for racial justice for years before the day she refused to yield her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Steps

1

Step One

Place Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott in a broader perspective at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. If you can't make the trip in person, take a virtual tour. (See civilrightsmuseum.org.)
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Step Two

Visit the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York, where Rosa shares honors with the likes of Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, Georgia O'Keefe and Rachel Carson.
3

Step Three

Read Rosa's view of the civil rights movement and her role in it in her book, "Quiet Strength."
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Step Four

Honor Rosa's lifelong work with young people by sending a donation to the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, which offers guidance to young African-Americans in preparation for leadership and careers.
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Step Five

Share the spotlight. Mrs. Parks likes to remind people that "Four decades later I am still uncomfortable with the credit given to me for starting the bus boycott ... I was not the only person involved. I was just one of many who fought for freedom."
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Step Six

Listen to your mother. Rosa did. Leona McCauley always advised Rosa to "take advantage of the opportunities, no matter how few they are."

Tips & Warnings

  • Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. After attending Alabama State College and marrying fellow civil rights activist Raymond Parks, Rosa worked for the Montgomery Voters League, served as secretary of the NAACP and, later as Adviser to its Youth Council.
  • Seneca Falls, New York, site of the National Women's Hall of Fame, is midway between Syracuse and Rochester. For information on visiting, see greatwomen.org.

Overall Things You'll Need

  • Books About The Civil Rights Movement
  • Plane Tickets To Rochester Or Syracuse
  • Rental cars
  • Airline Tickets
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