America’s New Civil Rights Movement

In 1950, the action of one individual in Montgomery, Alabama began a movement that would forever change the course of our nation. Rosa Parks, a 42 year older Black seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a White man and move to the back of a city bus. She was subsequently arrested and jailed. Her action, as history now denotes, was not about a seat on the bus but respect as an American citizen. The genesis was not revolution but restoration. The restoration of rights granted by the Almighty and codified within the mission statement of His nation of freedom: to be respected, valued and treated equally. 

Throughout the early 1900’s, the Democratic Party wielded its political power throughout the South with fear and retribution. The Party’s Jim Crow laws dictated every aspect of interaction between Black and White Americans with the goal to minimize any influence Black people could have within the collective community. From segregated schools, businesses, neighborhoods, restrooms, and transportation to the most mundane actions, ie: drinking from separate water fountains, these demeaning edicts were controlled by politicians with a lust for power and a disdain for empathy. 

A minor decision of nonviolent civil disobedience by Rosa Parks can serve as a reminder of the power single acts of courage have. Her act sparked a collective movement that challenged our nation to continue its journey to be a “more perfect Union”. Black citizens throughout Montgomery chose to walk and car-pool instead of utilizing the convenience of riding a bus. It should be noted that this decision came with great cost; many lost their jobs, as they were viewed by their White employees as “uppity, trouble makers”. Local organizers of the bus strike were harassed and threatened by renowned terrorist group: the Ku Klux Klan. Through these difficulties, this movement came to represent the power of the American free market system and the true essential factor in this dynamic equation: the consumer. In the end, it was committed, principled, and traditionally disenfranchised Black customers who forced a change among decades old racist policies created by powerful, local bus companies. 

These citizens demanded and were eventually granted equal treatment. Due to their courage to say ‘NO’, one aspect of freedom endowed to us by Our Creator was restored.  The bus segregation policies in Montgomery ended within 13 months, and the remaining remnants of this evil would be uprooted in the coming years. 

Our

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases