December 3rd 2023.
The Rosa Parks Day Act, a bill that would make Dec. 1, the date Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give her bus seat to a white man, a federal holiday, has obtained the backing of the Congressional Black Caucus. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, the bill is the first bill introduced by Rep Terri Sewell, a Democrat from Selma, Alabama. The arrest of Parks began the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was led by a young Martin Luther King Jr.
If approved, Rosa Parks Day would mark the first federal holiday to honor a Black woman, or any woman, period, in American history. This is an important milestone for the country, as the legacy of Rosa Parks is one of courage and bravery and should be honored at a national level.
At a news conference on Nov. 29, Rep. Terri Sewell explained why Parks should be honored with a federal holiday, saying, “This is not just about Black history. It’s about American history. I know that all of us, this whole nation, has benefited from the courage and bravery of this one woman. By simply refusing to give up her seat, Rosa Parks stood up for the values that this nation holds dear. With her quiet, dignified courage, she took a stand against a city steeped in segregation, and in doing so, she sparked the beginning of a movement that changed the very fabric of our nation.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty echoed Sewell’s remarks, saying, “Rosa Parks is a martyr for equality, an icon to all, a crusader for justice. And truly, she was a phenomenal Black woman whose legacy should be revered as a hero in American history books and well beyond our borders. It is past time to give Rosa Parks the national recognition she deserves.”
Rosa Parks Day is already celebrated in Montgomery, Alabama, on Dec. 1 as well as in Ohio, Oregon, and Texas. California, which first celebrated Rosa Parks Day, opted to choose Feb. 4, the date of Parks’ birthday, to celebrate the late civil rights activist.
Steven Horsford, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, contextualized the bill’s importance within the push for erasure of Black history, saying that there is a “rise in efforts to erase and rewrite history – Black history.” Horsford closed his remarks by saying, “That is why it’s important for us to reclaim our history, to honor our history, to promote our history.”
Denise Pendleton, a volunteer coordinator for the Texas African American Museum in Tyler as well as the secretary of the Texas African American Advisory Board, also shared her thoughts, saying that Parks’ enduring instruction is that everyday people are change agents for societal issues. “I think taking a page from that history and looking at women of color who are brave enough to stand up and do what needs to be done,” Pendleton said. “If we band together, we can make a lot of changes and it doesn’t have to be the president of this or the official elected officer. Everyday people make changes.”
Rep. Terri Sewell hopes that the bill will receive the bipartisan support she believes it deserves. It is clear that the legacy of Rosa Parks should be honored and celebrated at a national level. Her bravery and determination to fight for equality and justice is an inspiration to us all and should be remembered and honored.
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