How I met Rosa Parks

It was your usual morning in Montgomery, December 1st, 1955. I was sitting on the bus, on my way to work. There was a black woman sitting in front of me, she wasn’t acting out of the ordinary, just sitting and minding her buisness.

A white man comes onto the bus, and he requested with a rude tone of voice, that she give up her seat so he could sit there. Personally, I saw nothing wrong with the woman sitting there, she got onto the bus before him, so she had the full right to sit in that seat even though it was in the “whites” section. I’ll admit I’m a bit ahead of my time, I believe that everyone should be equal, and I don’t think people of color should be sitting in the back of the bus.

Then rightfully so, she refused to give up her seat to that man. He was furious and of course began throwing all sorts of insults at her, every colored person on that bus looked frightened but also had this glow in their eyes, a glow of respect and some anger. I’ll never forget the look of defiance in her eyes, she was not going to move, that was for sure. I was scared for her, but also happy, it wasn’t common for people of color to stand up to white people. I later learned her name was Rosa Parks, I was happy to have met her, she was a strong woman.