Happy Black History month! We are celebrating the achievements of black Americans and one of the many times African Americans played an integral role in U.S. history. This event came from “Negro History Week,” by Carter G. Woodsen and several other African Americans. Since this time, every U.S. president has proclaimed February as Black History Month.
During this time, I like to remember all of the inspirational African American figures, and I am amazed by how they have all strived to make an impact. I am particularly inspired by Rosa Parks as I learned about her from a young age and am still in awe of her actions. She was an activist who refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger, instigating the Montgomery boycott and supplementary efforts to stop segregation.
It was in her childhood that she experienced racial discrimination and activism for racial equality. She lived in a household containing strong advocates for racial equality, as both of her grandparents were former slaves. It was in this environment that she later became an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She became the chapter’s youth leader in Montgomery as well as the secretary until 1957.
She was a woman fully committed to equality; she never gave up. She believed she didn’t have to give up her seat on the bus on December 1, 1955, and she didn’t. She took a stand by saying no, making her an inspiration to all. She demonstrates how if one has the tenacity, then nothing will stop an individual from achieving their goal. She teaches everyone to never give up and to keep on fighting. She demonstrates how one should never succumb to the restrictions in society and if one is committed, they will stand up for their beliefs. They will be defiant; they will go as far as being arrested for what they have faith in. She is a leader and she is an example to all of fortitude, symbolizing the Civil Rights Movement.
Photo courtesy of achievement.org