Montgomery unveils statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A new statue of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks was dedicated in Alabama’s capital city Sunday, the 64th anniversary of her historic refusal to give up her seat on a public bus.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey pulled back a cloth to unveil the statue before a crowd of about 400 spectators.
The ceremony coincided with the anniversary of Parks’ Dec. 1, 1955 arrest that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
“This depiction will inspire future generations to make the pilgrimage to our city, to push toward the path of righteousness, strength,” said Reed, who recently became the first African American mayor of Montgomery.
Four granite markers honor plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, the court case that determined segregation on city buses was unconstitutional.