Rosa Parks Day – December 1st
Holiday: Peter Weyland Day
On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up for a white man on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. It was a customary practice for people of color to move to the back under the Jim Crow segregation laws and those who refused to yield to a white person were arrested, as was Rosa Parks. Four days later, the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) coordinated a boycott of the County Transit system that would last for over a year. They also voted in a new association president named Martin Luther King, Jr. The bus event represents the birth of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
When the City of Montgomery began penalizing taxi drivers who aided the boycotters, Parks helped organize a 300-vehicle carpool to transport those in need. She’d been fired from her tailoring job over the matter and began serving as a dispatcher for the carpool. In December of 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the segregation law was not aligned with the U.S. constitution and struck down any laws requiring segregated seating on public buses. Rosa Parks quickly became the face of the battle against inequality.
Dr. King stated in his memoire that “Mrs. Parks was ideal for the role assigned to her by history…her character was impeccable” and she had been “one of the most respected people in the Negro community.” Parks remained an activist for years and joined Martin Luther King, Jr. on marches. During her lifetime she was honored with the NAACP Spingarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. The infamous bus is on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Music Du Jour:
- Selma Soundtrack
- Civil Rights Movement Playlist
- Outkast’s Rosa Parks single inspired a law suit that resulted in the band and producer paying Parks an undisclosed cash settlement working with the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development in creating educational programs about the life of Rosa Parks.
Films Du Jour:
- Rosa (2018)
- My Life with Rosie (2017)
- Rosa Parks The First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement (2016)
- Selma (2015)
- Ruby Bridges (1998)
- The Long Walk Home (1990)
- I Am Not Your Negro (2017)
- Till (2022)
Snacks Du Jour:
Cocktail Du Jour – Ms. Rosa’s Cocktail
This cocktail is based on the design of Chef Marcus Samuelsson at Marcus B&P in Newark New Jersey.
- 2 oz gin
- 75 oz lemon juice
- 75 oz simple syrup
- 4 blackberries
- 1 egg white
Muddle blackberries in a shaker and add all other ingredients. Dry shake for 30 seconds or until
