Though Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat about 800 miles away, in Montgomery, Alabama, and more than six decades ago, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) celebrated her contributions to history 67 years later.
On Dec. 1, 1955, a bus driver asked Parks and three other Black passengers to relinquish their seats in order to make room for the White passengers boarding. Parks, who was leading the youth division of the NAACP’s Montgomery branch at the time, refused to give up her seat and was arrested.
The 42-year-old Parks’ refusal and subsequent arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott- a movement that ultimately led to the desegregation of buses in Alabama and served as a major landmark for the civil rights movement.
“Metro wants to recognize and pay homage to Ms. Rosa Parks,” said K.L. Harvey, a WMATA service operations manager.
On Dec. 1, WMATA saved a seat on every bus for Parks.
“Today this seat is reserved to honor Rosa Parks,” read the signs attached to one chair on each bus.
The transit association also allowed residents to visit the Anacostia Metro station from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. to take in the ‘Rosa Parks Bus.’
“This is a General Motors 1957 replica of the exact bus that Rosa Parks was on. So it’s been refurbished, it’s been refinished and it’s just Metro’s dedication… to the Montgomery Bus Boycott,” Harvey said.
The service operations manager added Washingtonians of all ages can still appreciate Parks’ contribution to this day.
“Riding the bus is a family affair. What she did was very significant because it allows us to ride the bus and have the freedom to ride and sit where we want to,” Harvey said. “And what she did, it set a standard and a precedent for fairness in riding the bus, so we really appreciate her.”
this is so cool