By Melissa Chapman
Cataloging Supervisor

Rosa Parks Day is a United States observance that celebrates the famous civil rights leader. In various parts of the United States, it is celebrated on different days. Rosa Parks Day is celebrated on Parks’ birthday—which is Feb. 4, and on Dec. 1, the day she was arrested.

On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Ala. Instead of going to the back of the bus, which was designated for African-Americans, she sat in the front. When the bus started to fill up with white passengers, the bus driver asked Parks to move. She refused. Her resistance set in motion one of the largest social movements in history, the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Parks’ courageous act and the subsequent Montgomery Bus Boycott led to the integration of public transportation in Montgomery. Her actions were not without consequence, however. She was jailed and lost her job for participating in the boycott.

She spent many years being an invaluable asset in Detroit’s Civil Rights Movement. In 1999, Parks was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor the United States bestows on a citizen. When she died at age 92 on Oct. 24, 2005, she became the first woman in the nation’s history to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol.

The best way for people to celebrate Rosa Parks Day is to make a difference in the Civil Rights Movement. This could mean protesting for just causes, lobbying a politician for issues that affect people of color or even helping marginalized communities get organized and registered to vote.

People can also spend this day learning more about Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights movement. They can do this by reading books that cover the subject quite well. Some of the books that Warsaw Community Public Library has on the subject can be found below:

“Quiet Strength: The Faith, The Hope, and The Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation” by Gregory J. Reed and Rosa Parks; “I Am Rosa Parks” by Rosa Parks; “Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America” by Emily Easton; and “Rosa Parks” by Emma E. Haldy.

A few streaming films available are “Remarkable Women of the 20th Century,” “Rosa” and “Selma.”

No matter what day it is observed, it is always a good day to learn about or take part in activities that support the Civil Rights movement.

Use #RosaParksDay to post on social media.