To Sit So Others Might Stand

October 24, 2005- Rosa Parks died in her Detroit home at the age of 92.

In a simple but powerful, creative and nonviolent act, Rosa Parks galvanized a movement by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955. For this action Rosa was arrested and her arrest sparked a 382-day boycott of the Montgomery city bus company and exposed, in a new way, the realities of racism and discrimination in the United States.

On that December day, Rosa Parks responded to Jesus' mandate, "Turn the other cheek." She resisted the violence and oppression inflicted on a community of people because of the color of their skin. But she did not return violence for violence. She did not turn and oppress others in order to avenge her own oppression.

She simply refused to stand up and acquiesce to an unjust law. She sat and through her refusal to consent, Rosa Parks galvanized nonviolent action for change in the United States: She refused to give up her seat in order to shine a light on the radical evil at the core of American society, racism. As she remained in her seat, she demanded her dignity and the dignity of a people. While many have claimed that Parks sat because she was tired from a long day of work, she has said in her own words, "The only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

In this singular and powerful act, Rosa Parks called attention to the wounded soul of a nation, engaged in racist oppression. Like so many powerful acts of nonviolence in history, Rosa Parks' action was both personal and collective. By refusing to give her seat to a white man, Rosa Parks affirmed her own personal dignity. But, she also challenged segregation throughout the South.

Rosa Parks said of herself, "I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people." Today, Rosa Parks' body lies in honor in the Capital rotunda. She is the first woman to be awarded this honor.

As United States citizens pay their last respects, may we commit ourselves to work for the freedom and equality of all people. May we work to end racism and oppression. May we find creative and nonviolent ways to draw attention to injustice and create change in our world. If so, the powerful legacy of Rosa Parks will remain both vital and alive.

Catholic Connections

Racism is not merely one sin among many; it is a radical evil that divides the human family and denies the new creation of a redeemed world. To struggle against it demands an equally radical transformation, in our own minds and hearts as well as in the structure of our society. Brothers and Sisters to Us, U.S. Bishops, 1979

"Jesus' way of love did not mean passivity or apathy but meant standing up for what was right. It meant noncooperation with evil and violence and overcoming that evil and violence through love and truth and a willingness to suffer for love and truth."
--Disarming the Heart, Fr. John Dear, S.J.

Reflection Questions

When asked about her action on the bus, Rosa Parks said, "I was just going home from work."

What can you do, in the midst of your everyday life, to make the world a better place?

Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!