By Daily Press staff
Notice something different about the Big Blue Bus today? The Big Blue Bus is paying tribute to Rosa Parks and the anniversary of the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott that sparked the civil rights movement by reserving the first seat of all its buses today, Dec. 1. A black ribbon is draped across the seats, along with a commemorative marker, in Parks’ honor and specially prepared information cards detailing her life story are available to passengers.
Rosa parks was 92 when she passed away on Oct. 24 at her home in Detroit. Her arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated public bus in Montgomery, Ala. in 1955 served as a catalyst for a year-long bus strike against the city’s bus system. The success of the boycott eventually helped overturn segregation laws throughout the South and helped propel Parks into the national spotlight as a advocate for human rights and racial equality. She was often referred to as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”
“We wanted to publicly acknowledge Mrs. Parks for her dignified act of courage so many years ago, when few dared to speak out against inequality,” said Big Blue Bus General Manager Stephanie Negriff. “Her lifelong dedication and belief in the rights and privileges of every human being toughed a whole nation and made out country a better place to live.”
The Big Blue Bus will be joined today by other public transportation agencies around the country in a national transit tribute to Rosa Parks and the anniversary of the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott. Feeling bookish this Christmas?
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 1, 2005. Read the original PDF.