[politics] "Are you going to stand up?"

Rosa Parks: 1913-2005

"Are you going to stand up?" So spoke a bus driver in Montgomery, Alabama, 1955; in the seat, a woman determined to stay where she was entitled. That we should all have the courage of our convictions to stand as Rosa Parks stood up against Jim Crow. To the end, she was an example for us all. I'm not religious, but certainly a moment of silence is in order for Mrs. Parks. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis (the former Lorraine Motel, where Dr. King was killed) is here; the Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute is here. [edited 25-Oct-05 9:15 AM PDT to add the following paragraph] I wanted to add a link to this, a diary on MyLeftWing.com that reminds us that Rosa Parks' resistance was not an accident: she was a long-time member of the NAACP prior to 1955, and had previously refused to stand up on buses during the 1940s. None of this happened overnight, and none of this was accidental, both points that are likely to be glossed over (if not ignored entirely) in the self-serving hagiographies that will come out over the next few days and weeks. [thanks to billmon for the reminder, and to The Smoking Gun for the photo]