Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks Dies a 92

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the life and legacy of Rosa Parks following her death at the age of 92. Participants reflect on her contributions to the civil rights movement, her act of civil disobedience, and the societal implications of her actions. The conversation touches on themes of courage, the impact of individual actions on history, and contemporary societal attitudes towards activism.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight Parks' act of civil disobedience as a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, suggesting that her actions may have changed the course of history.
  • Others express admiration for her courage and the wisdom that comes with age, reflecting on her impact on future generations.
  • A participant critiques a public figure's failure to correctly honor Parks, indicating a perceived lack of respect for her legacy.
  • Some express sadness over the current societal treatment of activists, contrasting it with the honor given to Parks.
  • There is a discussion about the appropriateness of civil disobedience in all contexts, with one participant cautioning against viewing it as universally right.
  • Participants share personal reflections on aging and the desire for a society free of racism, with some engaging in light-hearted banter about age and risk-taking.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the significance of Rosa Parks' contributions and express admiration for her character. However, there are competing views regarding the implications of civil disobedience and the current societal climate for activists, indicating that the discussion remains unresolved on these points.

Contextual Notes

Some statements reflect personal opinions and emotional responses rather than established facts, and there is a mix of admiration and critique regarding contemporary societal attitudes towards activism.

JamesU
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http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/24/parks.obit/index.html


(CNN) -- Rosa Parks, whose act of civil disobedience in 1955 inspired the modern civil rights movement, died Monday in Detroit, Michigan. She was 92.

Parks' moment in history began in December 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama.

Her arrest triggered a 381-day boycott of the bus system by blacks that was organized by a 26-year-old Baptist minister, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (See video on an activist's life and times -- 2:52)

The boycott led to a court ruling desegregating public transportation in Montgomery, but it wasn't until the 1964 Civil Rights Act that all public accommodations nationwide were desegregated.

Facing regular threats and having lost her department store job because of her activism, Parks moved from Alabama to Detroit in 1957. She later joined the staff of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat.

Conyers, who first met Parks during the early days of the civil rights struggle, recalled Monday that she worked on his original congressional staff when he first was elected to the House of Representatives in 1964.

"I think that she, as the mother of the new civil rights movement, has left an impact not just on the nation, but on the world," he told CNN in a telephone interview. "She was a real apostle of the nonviolence movement."

He remembered her as someone who never raised her voice -- an eloquent voice of the civil rights movement.

"You treated her with deference because she was so quiet, so serene -- just a very special person," he said, adding that "there was only one" Rosa Parks.

Gregory Reed, a longtime friend and attorney, said Parks died between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. of natural causes. He called Parks "a lady of great courage."

Parks co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development to help young people pursue educational opportunities, get them registered to vote and work toward racial peace.

"As long as there is unemployment, war, crime and all things that go to the infliction of man's inhumanity to man, regardless -- there is much to be done, and people need to work together," she once said.
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A rare example of a person who sat down for what they believed was right. :biggrin:
It seems so strange to think that the entire history of civil rights since Parks may have been different had she been in a better mood that day. But today we honor a person who broke the law - civil disobedience - because it was the right thing to do; or really, in her case, IIRC, she had simply had enough.
 
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I know of her story and what she did, and I admire her resolve. A 92 is a very good age, and it takes wisdom and luck to get there
 
Ivan Seeking said:
A rare example of a person who sat down for what they believed was right. :biggrin:
The second time I've spilled my coffee reading these forums.

She was a good lady indeed.
 
Did you hear Bush's speech honoring her?

He referred to her as "Rosa Park", couldn't even get her name right. Is there nothing that man can't screw up!:mad:
 
She was very courageous and helped inspire a generation.
 
She was indeed a great lady. It saddens me to see that we honor people like Rosa Parks, yet in today's society it appears that those who stand up for what they believe in are quickly made a mockery of by the general populace.
 
92? and I'm already feeling too old and tired! :blushing:
Anyway I hope we'll get rid of any kind of racist forever.
 
This event should not instill to people that civil disobedience is actually right in ALL cases.
 
  • #10
Lisa! said:
92? and I'm already feeling too old and tired! :blushing:
Anyway I hope we'll get rid of any kind of racist forever.
stop whining, you're not old.

and yes, that would be good, wouldn't it?
 
  • #11
yomamma said:
stop whining, you're not old.
All right, grandpa. :blushing: I think you get old when you're afraid of making risks and you don't try to fulfill your dreams. :smile:

and yes, that would be good, wouldn't it?
Yep,that would be perfect, but first we need to get rid of stupidity and narrow-mindedness. :wink: