This week marks the 65th anniversary of a pivotal event in the modern Civil Rights Movement. On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated city bus in Montgomery, AL. This was the spark for the famous Montgomery bus boycott, the first non-violent direct action campaign led by Martin Luther King, Jr. Although the name of Rosa Parks is well known, what is not nearly as well known is the preparation that made her ready for this historic act of resistance to racism. Contrary to a popular myth, Rosa Parks did not refuse to move just because she was physically tired. Rather she was prepared for that moment through years of committed action for racial justice in the midst of an unjust system of Jim Crow segregation. Over a decade before, she became an active member of the local chapter of the NAACP. She not only served as the chapter secretary and youth advisor, but she also participated in investigations of racial violence including the famous sexual assault case of Recy Taylor. During the summer of 1955, Rosa Parks had attended the Highlander Folk School that trained people in non-violent direct action for racial justice. From her childhood, she was a faithful member of the AME Church that was founded on the commitment to racial equality as an essential aspect of Christian discipleship. The video posted below gives a brief summary of the ways that Rosa Parks was ready for resistance on December 1, 1955. Her witness is not only a landmark in American history. It is also a vivid reminder of the deep faith and consistent commitment to racial justice that is the necessary preparation for any of us to be ready to resist racism and take a stand for racial justice in our time. Rosa Parks showed us that God uses seemingly small acts of resistance to bring about changes beyond anything we can imagine. The question is “Are we ready?”
