Over 4000 people attended the public funeral of Rosa Parks, the women who single-handedly ignited the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King saw the significance of a dignified quiet forty-two-year-old woman refusing to give up her bus seat at the command of a belligerent bus driver in Montgomery, Alabama. Putting hardship on themselves, the black community boycotted the buses and the Civil Rights Movement blossomed. Three-dozen speakers paid her tribute at her funeral. John Dingell said, Somebody said to me once that she was a seamstress. She was. This country has had two great seamstresses - one was named Betsey Ross, who put together the flag which flies beautifully over parts of country and is in all our hearts. Rosa Parks lent meaning to that flag by the leadership she gave. Bernice King said, And though we mourn the loss of this singular champion of racial justice, we also celebrate her home-going as a woman of unwavering faith who served God and humanity with unconditional love and devotion. Bill Clinton said, Rosa parks ignited the most significant social movement in modern American history to finish the work that spawned the Civil War and redeem the promise of the 13, 14, and 15 Amendments. For 50 more years, she moved beyond the bus continuing her work on that promise. It was my honor to present her with a presidential medal of freedom and to join the leaders of congress in presenting her with a congressional gold medal. Finally, Al Sharpton said, "You ought to make one commitment in her name to yourself. You ought to resolve that you are going to do something that makes a difference because we're here because she made a difference," I add my final tribute with the following poem: White Doves Flying: In Memoriam to Rosa Parks by John T. Jones, Ph.D. Flashing in the azure sky,
White wings shining in the sun,
Tears of sadness mark the cheeks
Of those who loved the Quiet One She was a simple seamstress
Like our Betsy Ross.
Betsy made our precious flag.
Rosa made it glow. With her inherent dignity
She gave not into sin.
With one defiant act
Our civil rights began. Others helped to make the fight
That gave us hope to end our plight
But Rosa was the single soul
Who fueled the engine; she made it go! Now thousands pay her due respect.
They pay her homage with one regret;
She has passed on to gain her crown.
Who will replace her? We look around. Yes, as we leave her funeral site,
We ask, Where is her shining light?
How will we walk without her might?
Who will do what she knew was right? The answer stares us in the face;
We must save the human race
From evil thoughts and unjust acts.
WE must do it! Lets face the facts. Flashing in the azure sky,
White wings shining in the sun,
Tears of sadness mark the cheeks
Of those who loved the Quiet One CopyrightJohn T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005 |
