A crowded Montgomery, Alabama city bus stopped at its usual spot and a middle-aged African-American woman boarded the bus. As the bus pulled away, she realized every seat was taken and was prepared to take the trip on her feet. But, something changed that stance. Three different white men in three different locations on the bus simultaneously got up to give their seat to the woman.
It was December 1, 2018; exactly sixty-three years after Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man boarding the city bus near the exact same bus stop. It was a commentary on the unifying impact this “mother of civil rights” made through her non-violent act of courage.
Rosa Parks was a bridge builder. The daughter of a teacher, she was quiet, soft-spoken and sensitive. Diplomatic by nature, she selected a simple and ordinary act as the underpinning for an important cultural transformation. When arrested for violating a racist law, she triggered a 381-day boycott by blacks of the city bus system. African-Americans made up two-thirds of the riders on the bus. The Supreme Court overturned the law, and a powerful bridge began to be constructed between the races.
But that bridge is still very much under construction. This past week the news reported hanging nooses and “white’s only” bathroom signs in a Toledo, Ohio, GM powertrain plant. Ten African-American employees have filed a suit again GM for tolerating a culture of racism at this plant. It was a work setting where black supervisors were called “boy” and “monkey” and told to “go back to Africa.” Some white employees frequently used the N-word and wore shirts with swastikas on the front.
Rosa Parks’ actions can be instructive in educating leaders on how to construct connections between people effectively. In the countless eulogies following her death, we learned that she never wavered in her commitment to being a bridge building leader. Her courage was not the reflection of a single moment on a bus, but the soul of a person of genuine moral fiber. She was focused, sensitive and humble until her death in 2005.
Today, we also celebrate the monumental civil rights work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
So as we remember Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, let us celebrate the courage of all those who must today endure senseless, ignorant and cruel racial injustices. Let us take time to laud their willingness to stand firm and not give up their “seat on the bus” thus yielding to evil practices and hate-filled behavior.