Rosa Parks is the first Black woman to have a statue in the U.S. Capitol. It was unveiled today. While December 1, 1955 is a day permanently etched in the minds of Americans of every race, it is important to note that she had a LIFE FULL OF ACTIVISM—decades that pre-dated and post-dated that event, and without the work done prior, her decision not to get up wouldn’t have been possible on an individual (political, emotional, psychological) level for her, or political level for us as a race. Let’s not minimize her to tropes but recognize the fullness of a powerful life, one women like Ella Baker helped pave for her; one that helped pave the way for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
For more information, read the book The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, or even start with an essay I mentioned in a previous Read This Week feature that lists 10 facts that most people do not know about her life.