County RTD to honor legacy of civil rights icon Rosa Parks
As a little a girl growing up in Texas, Grace & Mercy Charitable Foundation Founder Cheryl Francis, who attended segregated schools until the age of 9, remembers the discrimination that she and others like her faced because of the color of their skin.
“When we went to stores, there was for colored only and then there was for whites,” Francis said. “When we went out to eat, I remember having a hamburger and sitting and watching all the other little kids on the other side of the room that we weren’t allowed to talk to. The kids were the same age as I was, and I could never understand that. My mother instilled in us that it’s not you and it’s them.”
Because of several courageous leaders in the civil rights movement, today there are no separate fountains, schools, bathrooms or other public facilities. People are free to sit wherever they want on the bus, regardless of their skin color.
One of those leaders was Rosa Parks, and the San Joaquin County Regional Transit District has decided to honor her by reserving a front seat on Commuter, Hopper, and Stockton City buses in her memory between Feb. 3 and Feb. 5. A commemorative sign will be placed on the front seat honoring her equal rights advocacy and dedication to the cause.
“We really wanted to pay homage to Rosa Parks, because today quality bus service is available to everyone, but it hasn’t always been that way,” RTD Public Information Officer Terry Williams said. “If you go back in time, there were significant issues that faced a lot of people for all the wrong reasons. A lot of that has been improved upon, in part, as a result of the Civil Rights Act and a lot of it really stems from front-line action that was taken by Rosa Parks and folks like her who were pioneers and who were incredibly courageous in terms of making a difference. So, we don’t want to forget that at this time.”
Rosa Parks was nationally recognized as the “mother of the modern-day civil rights movement” in America. Her refusal to surrender her seat to a white male passenger on Dec. 1, 1955 while on a bus in Montgomery, Ala., triggered a wave of protests that reverberated throughout the United States. Her quiet and courageous act helped to change the course of American history for the better. Rosa Parks Day is officially celebrated in California on the date of her birth, Feb. 4.
“I think that it is amazing that they are honoring Rosa Parks. I think we need to make sure that everyone knows that prejudice still exists. Racism is still alive, it just comes in through a different door. Things have changed tremendously but, it still exists,” Francis said.
According to Francis, honoring and remembering people like Rosa Parks puts a focus on what can be done better in the future.
“We know what she went through, and there was no reason for her to go through that because of the color of her skin, so if we honor Rosa Parks, we make sure that our kids, our future generations and our generation now know
what we went through in order to get to where we are today,” Francis said.
NAACP Stockton Chapter President Bobby Bivens and his wife, LaJuana, who is also a title area director for the NAACP, were also pleased to hear that Parks was being recognized.
“It’s an awesome honor to Mrs. Parks because it’s something that we do every year. We honor her, and the women of the NAACP do as well,” LaJuana said.
According to Bobby Bivens, the Women in NAACP committee holds an event honoring Rosa Parks with a focus on women, and they are happy to see her get some recognition.
“I think it’s a great thing, I’m happy to hear about it. I will contact RTD and tell them thank you and also see how we may help kick it off or bring more recognition to it,” Bobby said.
Breakthrough Project President Lusandra Vincent was happy to hear that Parks would be recognized.
“It’s so important to keep the memory of her courage alive,” Vincent said. “She changed history in our county and I think it’s wonderful that the bus companies today are honoring her and will help maybe a whole new generation remember what she did and be inspired by her.”