1st Vice Chair Taylor Recognizes Anniversary of Rosa Parks Refusing to Give Up Bus Seat
MILWAUKEE – On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama bus, setting off a 13-month boycott that culminated in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregated public buses are unconstitutional.
“The brave action taken by Rosa Parks 67 years ago remains as important today as it was in 1955. As Milwaukee County remains one of the most segregated communities in the nation, we must learn from the actions taken by leaders like Ms. Parks in our fight for racial equity,” said County Board 1st Vice Chair Sequanna Taylor. “I would also like to make sure that we acknowledge the contributions of Claudette Colvin, an often forgotten, but equally important figure in the civil rights movement. Ms. Colvin refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman in Montgomery nine months before Ms. Parks did the same. She also was one of five plaintiffs in the first federal court case to challenge bus segregation. I encourage us all to uplift Ms. Colvin as we remember our civil rights heroes.”
As it has done for six previous years, Milwaukee County Transit System will keep a seat open on each bus from today through Saturday in honor of Parks. Each reserved seat will include a red rose and a placard featuring Parks’ photo and information about her brave act.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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