RICHMOND, Va. – This Saturday, December 1 will mark 63 years since Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama.
On that day in 1955, Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. She was arrested and fined. Four days later, in response to the Parks arrest, a year-long bus boycott began. It ended when the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public transportation was illegal.
To celebrate the anniversary of the powerful and historic act of defiance, the Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) will pay special tribute Parks by reserving the first passenger seat on every GRTC bus on Saturday, December 1.
“Woman Fingerprinted.” New York World-Telegram & Sun Collection. Prints & Photographs Division
Those seats will also have a commemorative sign displayed on them, honoring both Mrs. Parks’ legacy and her dedication to the Civil Rights Movement.
Each bus will also honor Rosa Parks with a special message in the electronic header sign.
In addition, all GRTC buses will keep their headlights on all day to represent “her light.”
