THE ROSA PARKS MEMORIAL SEAT

(I referred to this seat in my 11/17/07 post, "Knuckle Heads," which was actually written 11/15/07.)

The Rosa Parks Memorial Seat
CDTA Executive Director, Steve Bland, said about Rosa Parks and the dedication of a memorial seat on CDTA: "CDTA is proud to partner with Citizens Bank and the City of Albany to honor Rosa Parks as the 'mother of the civil rights movement.' Her courage helped to change America, redirect history and to define the philosophy and goals of public transportation to provide mobility and accessibility to improve the quality of life for all members of society." He added, "Her presence is still being felt by virtue of this seat, and it will be a constant reminder of the need to make public transportation available and accessible to people of all walks of life."

Citizens Bank in NY partnered with CDTA in February 2006 to provide the memorial seat (Citizens Bank Press Release, February 6, 2006).

On December 5, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Her action sparked a wave of protest and led to a bus boycott in Alabama that lasted 381 days. The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development states, "Contingent with the protest in Montgomery, others took shape throughout the south and the country. They took form as sit-ins, eat-ins, swim-ins, and similar causes. Thousands of courageous people joined the 'protest' to demand equal rights for all people," perhaps the reason why Rosa Parks is known as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.

Sources:
Citizens Bank Press Release, February 6, 2006
http://www.citizensbank.com/au/news/ctz/2006/02_09_06_Rosa_Parks.aspx

Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, "Rosa Louise Parks Biography"
http://www.rosaparks.org/bio.html