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The word hero is tossed around too liberally these days IMO. What she did was ballsy, courageous, simple, effective and just. She certainly qualifies as a hero in my book. RIP Rosa.
"Deviance grabs attention at the expense of the law. Dissent requires facing the law in order to expose its injustice."
-MLK
I don't know if she considered herself to be heroic or rebellious at the time. From what I've heard and read, she was just tired and wanted to sit down. At the same time, that small act of defiance became a watershed moment in the civil rights movement in the United States. One woman involved in a seemingly insignificant incident, became symbolic of the struggle for equality in North America. I am glad she lived to see the changes that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X did not.
fingernailsonhull Wrote:I am glad she lived to see the changes that Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X did not.
Sadly, she lived largely in obscurity, in poverty, and was the subject of an assault and a home invasion. It illustrates the disparities that still exist and still need to be addressed. Not just
there, but everywhere really.
She, the bus boycott, and King's letter from the Birmingham jail are still the model for non-violent revolution. Just shows you how easy it is to make history and make change if the injustice is so omnipresent, it can't be avoided. If less of those injustices exist, she takes some of the credit.
Inspiring... but intimidating too. How can we contribute?