ROSA PARKS: A PROFILE
IN COURAGE
Often referred to as the Mother of Civil Rights Movement,
the venerated Rosa Parks now belongs to the ages;
her legend earned a place of honor among the exemplary
Americans. By her righteous indignation over the humiliation
and inhumane treatment of Black citizens and courageous
defiance and civil disobedience on a public bus in
Montgomery, Alabama fifty years ago, she set in motion
a revolution of true liberation of Blacks from the
last vestiges of racial outrage and slavery at the
hands of oppressive White authorities and unjust laws.
Ms. Rosa Parks lived to see much change and progress
in the area of civil rights that she and others suffered
and sacrificed for over the next 50 years. Ms. Parks
died in Detroit on October 24, 2005 at the age of
92, survived by her lasting legacy and legions of
admirers.
Ms. Parks stood against the unconscionable tyranny
of segregation and apartheid in the South and made
it a moral cause for all decent Americans to stand
up against this un-American practice and national
disgrace. Using the moral authority of the constitutional
promise of human dignity, fundamental rights, and
equality, she challenged the conscience of the nation
and persuaded them to reject the immoral and unjust
walls of separation based on color and end segregation
of races in America.
Ms. Rosa Parks' daring act of defiance and uncommon
courage captured the heart and excitement of America,
and made her a revered civil rights pioneer and a
celebrated American icon, especially among the black
Americans. Her refusal to give up her seat to a White
man on a public bus on that day in December 1955 in
Montgomery, Alabama she sparked a new life into the
civil rights movement in America. In 1999, Rosa Parks,
the shy, gentle, and unassuming civil rights pioneer,
received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest
honor that can be given to a civilian. Rosa Parks
was accorded yet another rare honor (and a first for
a woman), generally reserved for Presidents; her body
lay in honor in the Rotunda of U.S. Capitol.
The story that this ordinary seamstress, an African-American
daughter of the South, leaving behind such a landmark
footprint in American history, will be long remembered
and inspire many around the world. Born on February
4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, Rosa Louise McCauley
was the daughter of Leona, a teacher, and James McCauley,
a farmer and carpenter. She witnessed the unjust laws
and treatment of the Blacks and became active in the
NAACP in her youth and when the destiny made an unexpected
call and a demand on her deep faith, she exhibited
her courage of conviction and uncommon inner strength
guided by her deep faith. Rosa Parks always exhibited
modesty and amazing grace over the historic incident
and her singular contribution to the cause of civil
rights in America.
The struggle equality and civil rights continues,
but Ms. Rosa Parks greatly advanced the urgency of
this just cause, and she will be remembered as one
of the true champions of the inalienable human rights
and dignity for all Americans. Like Dr. Martin Luther
King and others, she is a symbol of uncommon courage;
that one human being can make a lasting difference
in the life and spirit of a nation and humanity. Rosa
Parks is now a part of the honored gallery with other
righteous freedom fighters; her life and legacy a
centerpiece of the ultimate triumph of conscience
and non-violence over injustice and inequality. She
reminded us that in America, and around the world,
we must honor that God's universal canopy of hope
and dignity is for all living beings and each of us
must be a torchbearer of that message and commitment.
We must inspire our youth to be responsible citizens,
give them hope and dignity, and encourage them to
contribute to the strengths of our shared and precious
humanity and their promise.
Ms. Rosa Parks is a tribute to the noblest ideals
of humanity. May her soul rest in peace.
Kanwal Prakash "KP" Singh
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
