Most of us cannot comprehend living in a time when a black woman would be arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man. However, most of our parents were probably alive 50 years ago - Dec. 1, 1955 - when Rosa Parks refused to vacate her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus.
She was already sitting in the "Negroes" section at the back of the bus, and three other black passengers had just risen to clear space for a white man, at the driver's request.
"He asked me if I was going to stand up," Parks recalled in "Eyes on the Prize," a 1987 television series. "I told him, 'No, I'm not.' And he said, 'If you don't stand up, I'm going to call a policeman and have you arrested.'
"I said, 'You may do that.'"
For 381 days after Parks' arrest, the black community of Montgomery boycotted public buses, and in 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation on buses is unconstitutional.
Parks was not tired or lazy that day. She simply knew it was unfair for her to have to give up her seat, and she wasn't going to compromise anymore.
There was no rioting or bombing on that December day, as we've seen so often in recent civil rights conflicts across the world. Parks did not even yell at or fight with her oppressors. By calmly standing up for what was right, Parks and the other Montgomery bus boycotters caused a change in our legal system, our attitudes and our nation.
Certainly, Parks was one of many black people who refused to give up their bus seats. Jackie Robinson did so in 1944 and was court-martialed for it, but later acquitted. Irene Morgan's refusal, 10 years before Parks', led to the overturning of segregation laws regarding interstate commerce.
Still, Parks' quiet and polite - but infinitely strong - voice, speaking only the words "No, I'm not," continues to illustrate the freedom this nation advocates.
Rosa Parks died Monday, but her story and strength forever remind us of the power in a single voice.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
