Congresswoman Beatty Marks Rosa Parks Day
Congresswoman Beatty Marks Rosa Parks Day
Holds Community Leaders Forum on "The Power of One: We Are Walking In It"
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 eventually led to the complete desegregation of our nation's public transportation system.
"Rosa Parks forever changed the world—she epitomized the ‘Power of One,'" Beatty said. "Her life and actions on that historic December day inspired me and so many Americans—not to mention people across the world—to stand up for what is right and just." Beatty continued, "It is our collective responsibility to honor Rosa Parks and the Power of One. Today, and always, we are walking in it."
Though small in stature, Parks became an enormous figure in the Civil Rights Movement, working alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others to extend civil rights, greater freedom and opportunities for 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-State Representative 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.
This year, marks the 13th Annual Statewide Tribute to Rosa Parks. The theme is "The Power of One: We Are Walking In It." Coinciding with this year's Statewide Tribute, Congresswoman Beatty is hosting a Community Leaders Forum that will bring local, national and civil rights leaders together for an important discussion on the power of diversity, inclusion and community, and their importance to the legislative work of the 115th Congress.
For more information on the Community Leaders Forum, please visit Congresswoman Beatty's events page.