Rosa Parks was an amazing woman and what is special about this biography put out by the Library of Congress is that it is full of pictures of her memorabilia and writings. She was an avid writer and notetaker and would write on anything she had on hand. I find this fascinating because I do this too.
Rosa Parks was active in helping people well before the day she chose to not get off the bus. She also:
- Educated voters
- Supported activists
- Campaigned for political candidates
- Fought segregation
- Sought justice for victims of sexual assault, abduction and gang rape
Rosa Parks lived for freedom not just for herself but for others. She wanted all people to be treated well.
“I would rather be lynched than live to be mistreated.” Rosa Parks
Many people had been abused as they protested bus segregation before Rosa Parks. Her actions were not planned but there was a lot to fuel the fire of history. Rose had just reached her tipping point on that day.
- Brown v. Board of Education which said that segregation of schools was unconstitutional
- Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl had been roughed up and dragged off a Montgomery bus for not giving up her seat to a white person
- Emmitt Till, a 14-year-old boy has been murdered by the KKK for a comment no one heard him make
Because of Parks’ calm demeanor and good reputation the president of the NAACP chose her to be the face of resistance. Many things happened that were a help to the civil rights movement because Rosa Parks chose to stay seated one day on the bus. On June 6, 1956 Browder v. Gayle stated that bus segregation was unconstitutional. Civil rights leaders were expecting pushback from Alabama and they got it. Alabama appealed on November 13, 1965 but the lower court upheld the ruling. Alabama appealed a second time but it was denied and Federal Marshalls handed Mayer Gayle official notice on December 20, 1956.
“I want to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted others to be free.” Rosa Parks
This is the first nonfiction book that I have read about Rosa Parks but she also wrote books about her life and I intend to read those too:
- Quiet Strength
- My Story
- Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today’s Youth
I got this book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of Rosa Parks In Her Own Words by Susan Reyburn on Amazon.
Read My Review on GoodReads:
Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words by Susan Reyburn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rosa Parks was a humble and great woman. She worked hard to serve others for the betterment of the civil rights movement because she wanted to be remembered as a person that wanted to be free and wanted others to be free. She was not wealthy and did not ask for riches for anything she ever did but she has gone down in history has an amazing force for good. This book, put out by the Library of Congress is full of notes and personal memorabilia that she kept while on her journey towards freedom for us all.
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My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
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