Thank You Sister Rosa. You Are The Spark?
I wouldn't be proper if I did not give a few words on this time. An Icon, a living legend, a symbol of American history passed yesterday. Rosa Parks died of natural causes at the age of 92. Rosa Parks was the spark that ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycotts and launched the career and lifelong endeavor of one of the greatest Americans in our nation's history, Martin Luther King. In 1955, Rosa Parks leaving her job to go home on the bus was prompted by the driver to give up her seat for a white passenger. She refused. She would be arrested and this arrest angered many in the community for the treatment of a beloved and peaceful citizen as herself. Word was quickly passed that not a single black passenger would ride the bus again until this injustice is corrected. The boycott lasted over a year and really damaged the economy in Alabama. This example was followed by many throughout the nation and soon, the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing and not long after, equality for all citizens was demanded by law. All because of one woman was tired. Not tired of working, she worked with her hands. But tired of having to be treated inhuman, as if he rights where superceeded by others. Or was it?
No, I dare not question the significance and impact Rosa Parks had on the world and society, but what is in question is the spark of the Civil Rights Movement. There are three dates that many bring into question: August 28, 1955, December 1, 1955 and May 17, 1954. Of course on the first of December in 1955, that was the day Rosa Parks was arrested and the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. However, outside of that, there's also the landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown vs Topeka, which resulted in the doctrine of "Separate but equal" being declared unconstitutional. Although many recongize Rosa Parks and what she started, this is considered by many what really triggered the movement. Without this being law, the movement wouldn't really have much ground to stand on, including the unlawful arrest of Rosa Parks.
However, outside of those dates, there is another date many do not know or care to discuss. On August 28th of 1955, over three months before Rosa Parks was arrested, a young man by the name of Emmet Till left his home in Chicago to visist some relatives in Money, Mississippi. Unaware and uneducated to the severe racial divisions that ran in the south, Emmett made an misunderstood pass toward the store owner's wife, Carolyn Bryant, which she took offense. Word eventually spread across the small community and by time her husband returned from an out of state trip, he and his brother-in-law decided to kidnapp Emmett to "teach him a lesson". Admitting they wanted to scare Emmett at first, they eventually changed tactics when Emmett showed no fear of the danger he was actually in. Despite the duo's claims, their intentions were evident and clear with the reported hours of screams, beaten and bruised body of Emmett and most notably the face of Emmett Till. Words cannot describe the wretched and disfigured remains of a handsome teenage boy who was brutally murdered by two men. After a vain attempt to clean up the body, Mamie Till, Emmett's mother decided that he should be left alone and to have an open casket funeral so the world could see what happened to her son. After several countless visitors at the funeral, several photographs and a print in Jet magazine, thousands were able to see what happened to Emmett. Despite Bryant's aquittal, he would eventually be shunned by his own community for what he did.
The effects of Emmett Till's death were much more far-reaching than anyone could have thought. The addage of a picture being worth a thousand words was proven to be 100% correct in this case. This was one of the first times that local law enforcement, local media and the NAACP all worked together to investigate exactly what happened. Because of the high level of cooperation between these institutions and the profound shock value of seeing the actual brutality of hate, there is no doubt in my mind that this is reasonably considered the spark to the Civil Rights Movement.
However, the actual spark of the Civil Rights Movement wasn't on December 1, 1955, August 28, 1955 or May 17, 1954. The Civil Rights Movement would not have been a success without the sumation of these three events. The Brown vs Topeka decision laid the ground work to let the world know change was due to come. The death of Emmett Till made this a real issue to not only the whole of America, but across the world as well. And finally the arrest and ensuing boycott was the culmination and call to action to demand civil rights. Again, there's no denying Rosa Park's place in the movement, but she was not alone. But as the years passed, she became increasingly lonely and as time passed, I believe many took for granted what we had among us, a spark that made America the greatest nation it is today. If it wasn't for her, this nation would not be anything at all as it is now.
Thank you Sister Rosa. You are the spark. You started our freedom movement. Thank you sister Rosa Parks.
No, I dare not question the significance and impact Rosa Parks had on the world and society, but what is in question is the spark of the Civil Rights Movement. There are three dates that many bring into question: August 28, 1955, December 1, 1955 and May 17, 1954. Of course on the first of December in 1955, that was the day Rosa Parks was arrested and the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. However, outside of that, there's also the landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown vs Topeka, which resulted in the doctrine of "Separate but equal" being declared unconstitutional. Although many recongize Rosa Parks and what she started, this is considered by many what really triggered the movement. Without this being law, the movement wouldn't really have much ground to stand on, including the unlawful arrest of Rosa Parks.
However, outside of those dates, there is another date many do not know or care to discuss. On August 28th of 1955, over three months before Rosa Parks was arrested, a young man by the name of Emmet Till left his home in Chicago to visist some relatives in Money, Mississippi. Unaware and uneducated to the severe racial divisions that ran in the south, Emmett made an misunderstood pass toward the store owner's wife, Carolyn Bryant, which she took offense. Word eventually spread across the small community and by time her husband returned from an out of state trip, he and his brother-in-law decided to kidnapp Emmett to "teach him a lesson". Admitting they wanted to scare Emmett at first, they eventually changed tactics when Emmett showed no fear of the danger he was actually in. Despite the duo's claims, their intentions were evident and clear with the reported hours of screams, beaten and bruised body of Emmett and most notably the face of Emmett Till. Words cannot describe the wretched and disfigured remains of a handsome teenage boy who was brutally murdered by two men. After a vain attempt to clean up the body, Mamie Till, Emmett's mother decided that he should be left alone and to have an open casket funeral so the world could see what happened to her son. After several countless visitors at the funeral, several photographs and a print in Jet magazine, thousands were able to see what happened to Emmett. Despite Bryant's aquittal, he would eventually be shunned by his own community for what he did.
The effects of Emmett Till's death were much more far-reaching than anyone could have thought. The addage of a picture being worth a thousand words was proven to be 100% correct in this case. This was one of the first times that local law enforcement, local media and the NAACP all worked together to investigate exactly what happened. Because of the high level of cooperation between these institutions and the profound shock value of seeing the actual brutality of hate, there is no doubt in my mind that this is reasonably considered the spark to the Civil Rights Movement.
However, the actual spark of the Civil Rights Movement wasn't on December 1, 1955, August 28, 1955 or May 17, 1954. The Civil Rights Movement would not have been a success without the sumation of these three events. The Brown vs Topeka decision laid the ground work to let the world know change was due to come. The death of Emmett Till made this a real issue to not only the whole of America, but across the world as well. And finally the arrest and ensuing boycott was the culmination and call to action to demand civil rights. Again, there's no denying Rosa Park's place in the movement, but she was not alone. But as the years passed, she became increasingly lonely and as time passed, I believe many took for granted what we had among us, a spark that made America the greatest nation it is today. If it wasn't for her, this nation would not be anything at all as it is now.
Thank you Sister Rosa. You are the spark. You started our freedom movement. Thank you sister Rosa Parks.
posted by Shogunn at 11:38 PM
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