ROSA PARKS: American Hero, Rugged Individualist, and Free Thinker ... 55 Year's after ...

This posting will be to honour an American Hero, Mrs. Rosa Parks , for her inspiration, rugged individualism, and work which led to what is called the "American Civil Rights Movement" and the "Montgomery Bus Boycott", that led to actual "change" in America. First a video clip below, then some word's from me.



***** HISTORY.COM: Rosa Parks- Black History .... (read/ video)



Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott ... Thanx to BASIT2COOL




I try to focus in this journal on those who stand out, that are heroes in my opinion, think out of the box freely, and most importantly have the courage to speak out, stand up against the grain, who I see as not only heroes, but also truly deserving of the title "elite" in their field's and area's of endeavor's, whether their intentional act's/ achievement's or non. And of course Mrs. Parks fall's into this category.

Some say that Mrs. Parks was soft spoken, non violent, etc. True ... but she was smart ... and I frankly dont think that Mrs. Parks intention's were to start a movement even ... I think she had plenty of anger and fire in her ... and was just sick and tired of the bullshit, and frankly knew she was going to probably get arrested or worse, but decided ... what the Hell ... she was NOT going to put up with this crap any longer ... enough is enough, and if it mean's bloody jail or punishment, so be it. Alot of Black American's were soft spoken and passive in them day's ... especially if they were to march or protest or do anything that got public atencion ... the reason being because if you got too outspoken and you were a person of colour, you will get harsh treatment, regardless of how soft spoken you may be, the "rule" of the land made sure to that. So whenever you stand against the grain in those times, whether it's peacefully or radically ... you were gonna get some shit, straight up. As far as Mrs. Parks was concerned ... she was ready to deal with it and determined, regardless of whatever consequences ... she is one of those individual's who would probably rather die on her feet than live on her knee's. One with REALLY a free thinking mind ... one that is out of the box.

I am not really old enough to say I have witnessed this, I wasnt born until January 1956, or did I even learn about any of this in school in the 1960's despite going to school on the Northeast Coast and the Southwest Coast, I dont recall a bloody thing on Mrs. Parks in school frankly, and no, I didnt watch the news much back then ... just to show you how many year's it take's for these icon's such as Mrs. Parks to get the recognition they are due. I learned about Mrs. Parks just in life on my own, and seeing even year's after, how what she called the "infliction's of man's inhumanity to man" ... still continued on. She is a hero to African American's of course, but she is a hero to every American that has to fight for every damn right and basic balance, fairness, on every level, and regardless of their ethnicity/ race.

I grew up around segregation when I lived in New York even, even though they say it was desegregated. Living in one neighborhood that was mostly Italian, Jewish, with some Irish, German's and Polish ... there was no folk's of colour (YES, IN NEW YORK) and one day a kid came home with me who was a school buddy named Leroy Kimbrough, who was a black kid ... I was told by familia that it wasnt cool bringing him around the neighborhood ... I was confused and asked, Why? And was told because it makes the familia look unfavourably to other's in the neighborhood simply. This was my first experience with a sort of racial seperation ... so I knew right then, that racism was NOT natural that you were born with, as some racist's may think ... but you are taught. In Dallas in the late 1970's ... Dallas was actually more desegregated as far as neighborhood's were concerned, and even Los Angeles and Las Vegas ... than even a place like Brooklyn or Buffalo, New York in the early 1970's that is. But also back then, I recall one instance where it was around this time of year, and my girlfriend Gwen Taylor and I were browsing the Christmas Sale and display's (1979, if I recall correctly) at Dallas based Neiman Marcus department store, a more upscale store, where I couldnt afford nothing but a few sale item's, but was fun to visit during the Holiday Season to view all the decoration's and activities. Gwen was Black, born and raised in Lower East Dallas, who was also locally an outstanding heavy metal bass guitarist (largely influenced by Led Zeppelin and Alice Cooper as a kid) , who I met at a Dallas rock venue her band was performing at, after her show. But when in Neiman Marcus ... Gwen kind of whispered to me (with a snicker) , that if this was as late as the early 1960's, she wouldnt have been allowed in the store with me, without a maid uniform ... and alway's only with a white person they worked for, so this was also something I didnt know. And seperate drinking fountain's in the Dallas Record's Building I heard of back in 1960 before I came to Dallas. Today many young folk's in Dallas would find that hard to imagine, now with a city that is a majority population of people of color.

Much has changed over the last half century, but those injustice's still exist across the board, not just race though as much ... as Mrs. Parks clearly stated. It's a non- ending battle of many injustice's, and wont balance out anytime soon either, and that is exactly the importance of rugged free thinking individual's such as Mrs. Parks. The same mindset exist's today of passiveness and conforming to what is now politically correct ... such as segregation was at a time politically correct, and most out of fear or other reason's accept it. It wasnt easy for Mrs. Parks to do something as simple as declining to do what she was told ... she was criminalized and charged with "civil disobedience". The same as anyone today is also criminalized or villainized in society through media's or such, who does not go along with the herd conformity. So CONGRATULATION'S and THANK YOU to Mrs. Parks for her contribution's to America and it's liberties.





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