Congressional Black Caucus members honor Rosa Parks on anniversary of arrest

On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Ala. for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. A critical moment in the fight for civil rights, Parks went down in history books as a revolutionary. 

Now, 67 years after her arrest, members of the Congressional Black Caucus are paying tribute to the woman who helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. 

“Today, we honor the legendary trailblazer, #RosaParks for her bravery to spark a movement that changed America for the better,” tweeted CBC Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio). “Her leadership has inspired me and so many Americans – and countless others around the world – all these years later.”

Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) said Parks’ actions were a stance against white supremacy.

“She boldly and unapologetically refused to move from her bus seat, igniting the Montgomery Bus Boycott,” Carter tweeted. “Thank you Ms. Parks for standing up to racial inequity and utilizing civil disobedience to resist injustice!”

“Today is the anniversary of Mother Rosa Parks’ arrest on the bus in Montgomery,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) tweeted. “Her action to not get up from that seat was considered radical, but we know that it was a needed action. May we continue on the path for justice and honor Mother Parks’ legacy.”

Parks’ decision to remain seated has become one of the most well-known moments of the Civil Rights era, though her work fighting for racial justice began long before her 1955 arrest.

She was the only woman in the Montgomery chapter’s NAACP, and she would go on to be elected as secretary for the group. 

Parks also led a nationwide campaign against the sexual violence perpetuated against Black women at the hands of white men. Many of those assaults went unreported. For those that were brave enough to report, the men often faced no punishment. Parks’ work sought to change that.

Parks also joined her husband and other Black activists in secret meetings to raise money for the Scottsboro Boys, a group of nine Black boys who were falsely charged with raping two white women. 

“I serve in Congress to continue the fight for justice – for Rosa Parks and everyone she inspired,” Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) tweeted. 

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), who is currently running for reelection in a runoff, used the anniversary to encourage voting.

“67 years ago today, Rosa Parks sat down in order to stand up for civil rights,” Warnock tweeted. “What she did took courage, conviction, and commitment. We honor and continue that fight by voting.”