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Beatty Celebrates Rosa Parks Day

December 1, 2016
Announcements

Beatty Celebrates Rosa Parks Day

Authored legislation in Ohio to designate December 1st as “Rosa Parks Day”

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an Alabama seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a White man on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus. Her defiance and subsequent jailing sparked the peaceful, 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott that lead to the desegregation of our nation’s public transportation system.

Although small in stature, Parks became an enormous figure in the Civil Rights Movement, working alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others to ensure civil rights, greater freedom and opportunities to all Americans. Soon after, Parks earned the title: “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”

50 years later, in 2005, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03), then-Member of the Ohio General Assembly, spearheaded legislation to designate December 1st as “Rosa Parks Day” in the State of Ohio—making the Buckeye State the first in the nation to formally recognize the Civil Rights icon. Since that time, Ohioans from all walks of life, join together annually to honor Parks and reflect on the “Power of One” individual to make a difference in the lives of others.

“Rosa Parks is a hero to countless Americans and me,” Beatty said. “Her life and actions on that historic December day more than 50 years ago have inspired people across the country and around the world to stand up against discrimination and work peacefully to create a more just and fair society.” Beatty continued, “I was honored to have led the charge in the State of Ohio to recognize Rosa Parks, and I look forward to this year’s celebration and for years to come.”

Issues:Civil RightsLocal Issues