Comments

Good article and I can't add anything.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9809237/

Posted by Mike at October 25, 2005 8:57 AM

thank her that she changed our lifes!

Posted by David at October 25, 2005 9:31 AM

Never miss the chance to stand up (or sit down, in Rosa's case) for what you believe in.

Posted by Matt at October 25, 2005 9:39 AM

Tom,

Rosa Parks proved the importance of the value
of 1! She had great passion and courage. We
can all learn a great lesson from her very
personal decision she made on that bus that
day.

The value of 1 is a lesson we can all use.

Posted by Jack Dillon at October 25, 2005 11:42 AM

We've been promised (warned?) of our first wet snow here in the Berkshires today.

Just thinking about Rosa Parks life makes the sun shine. what a wonderful, beautiful woman and life.

Posted by Ciaran McCabe at October 25, 2005 12:12 PM

If ever there was an example of being the change you want to see, Ms. Parks was it. When you're tired, you're tired. And, if you're not moving or changing, that means other things have to move and change. That's called progress.

Posted by Lena West at October 25, 2005 12:41 PM

I applaud your recognition of the impact the Rosa Parks'courage made on the experience of mankind. She is indeed an inspiration to having the courage to pursue what each of us hope and believe will change the world!

Posted by Lou Carbone at October 25, 2005 12:50 PM

see apple's home page today.
http://www.apple.com/

Posted by Erik Hansen at October 25, 2005 6:19 PM

It was such a small act by a tired woman who taught everyone grace under pressure and courage - her act inspired so many men and women both black and white to take up the banner of civil rights and expose the inequities that existed in this land of the free...her simplistic act gave so much courage to timid souls everywhere to stand up for justice. Bless her heart and may she rest in the splendor of Heaven. Thanks Tom for recognizing her and for sharing your feelings in such special ways - I am enjoying your walks and have decided to get up early and walk everyday myself and see what intelligent life surrounds me in nature...You're the best...Suzanne

Posted by suzanne g. at October 26, 2005 3:17 PM

Amen, Tom.

Posted by Mike Chapman at October 26, 2005 7:31 PM

So much has happened in the civil rights movement since that day in 1955 that it's easy to downplay the achievements of this incredible woman. At least I thought so until something very profound happened in my house last January.

We were sitting down at dinner talking about the events of the day when my 6 year old daughter Allison made an announcement:

"Dad, you will not believe what I heard today in school," she said. "Did you know that a long time ago, black people were not allowed to use the same bathrooms or drinking fountains as white people?"

I nodded as she continued.

"And black people could not even sit with white people on the bus - in fact they had to sit in the back. Then one day this black lady decided she wasn't going to get up out of her seat and they actually put her in jail for that. Can you believe that actually happened?"

The conversation continued on and we talked about Martin Luther King and how he gave a powerful speach in front of the "Big Abraham Lincoln" (what my kids call the Lincoln Memorial in DC). It was an interesting conversation, one that enlightened all of us, but most of all it got me thinking - and Rosa Park's passing brought it all back.

It's hard to believe that only a few decades ago, this kind of discrimination actually had the teeth of the law to back it. It's harder to believe that as a group, the human race can still treat people differently based on the color of their skin or national origin. When you think about it, it's really kind of stupid. After all, underneath all of our outward appearances the common factor is that we're all human beings. I think it's good that young kids today are shocked and appalled at the history of race relations in this country. It tells me that they've managed to look past the outward appearance and see others, regardless of skin color and country of origin, as human beings. Perhaps Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream is closer than ever to being realized. I too look forward to that day.

Thanks Rosa for a job and a life well done!

Malcolm
www.professormal.com

Posted by Malcolm Munro at October 27, 2005 6:27 AM

I am so thankful for Ms. Parks and her compatriots. Not only did she serve the greater good for our nation, but it is because of her and the reforms that she helped cause that I am a happily married man.

I am in a mixed-race marriage - something that was frowned upon 30 years ago, but is common-place now. If not for the efforts of a lady who didn't give up her seat, I may have been denied my soulmate.

Thank you Ms Parks for your work, your life, and my wife and 3 children.

-Tony Brinson

Posted by Tony Brinson at October 28, 2005 3:59 PM