Rosa and Malcolm:Changing History, Changing Lives
Rosa Parks' act of defiance triggered a busboycott that became a landmark in the civil rightsstruggles of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her placein history is firmly secured, the legendary Rosa Parkscontinues to lead by example and deserves a special On one dark December day in 1955, Mrs.Parks' only intent was to get home after a long day ofwork as a seamstress. It was an "established rule" inthe American south (at that time) thatAfrican-American riders had to sit at the back of thebus. African-American riders were also expected tosurrender their seat to a white bus rider if it wasneeded. When a white man got on the bus and thedriver ordered the black people in her row in the"colored section" to move to the rear, she reflected onthe songs of freedom her mother sang to her, thelessons gleaned from the Bible and her belief thatpeople should stand up for things that are right andchallenge those that are wrong. She gathered herfaith, her quiet strength and determination anddecided that it was time to make a stand. Hersubsequent arrest and boycott became a powerfulsymbol of peaceful resistance for the civil rights In court, Mrs. Parks was ordered to pay a
At first he thought it was a scam to get his prisonsentence cut short. With lessthan a ninth grade education, a life of crime was practicallyinevitable for young Malcolm. Having felt the sting ofracism and been denied opportunity from his earliest years,from most, if not all, of the existing institutions of the day. From the time of his release from prison, in 1952,until he left the "Black Muslims", (as the followers of ElyahMuhammad were called in those days), Malcolm X became notonly the organization's most articulate spokesman, but one ofits architects and most ardent supporters. This event createdin a complete turnaround in Malcolm's views on both hisreligion and his approach to the problems of racism andoppression of blacks in America. Parks did notepitomize how a passionate yet responsible individualcan use moral authority to succeed. Religion, race and worldhistory were his favorite subjects. AndMalcolm became fascinated with the doctrine taught by ElijahMuhammad. Yet none of thismay have been possible if Mrs. Shewas never a fiery activist, although she and herhusband, Raymond, worked with youth groups for theNational Association for the Advancement of ColoredPeople (NAACP). This civil rights pioneer was theembodiment of the kind of character Martin LutherKing Jr. The "mother of the civil rights movement,"is still uncomfortable with all the credit given her forstarting one of the most successful passive resistancemovements in modern history. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. Supreme Court declaredbus segregation unconstitutional. But Malcolm began listening to his youngerbrother Reginald, who explained about his new faith.
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