Originally posted by reh321 I'm sure they told the whole story - I didn't memorize everything I read. I apologize for flubbing the story.
The distinction is important. Many times sinceI I have seen activists trying to manufacture a "Rosa Parks" incident. But they don't seem to understand, she wasn't an activist, if she had been she would have been labelled a trouble maker. She wasn't an outsider, if she was she could have been labelled and outside agitator. She wasn't a member of a Civil Rights organization, or she would have been accused of deliberately provoking authorities.
IN fact it could be argued, if you don't have a Rosa Parks incident, maybe you don't really have a cause.
Quite simply her story came down to a working woman who ws treated unfairly, that even many of the proponents of segregation would admit was treated unfairly. Coupled with the common practice of nice men giving up their seats for women, it was an educational home run. And what many of the activists groups I've dealt with since, don't seem to understand the power of that. And to me, that's a very important part of the story.
There were many working men and women who could read Rosa's story and think "I wouldn't have given that piece of work my seat either," or "I would have given her my seat, forget about ask for hers."
That to me is the important history lesson that was learned on that bus. And every activist out there trying to manufacture a cause should understand it.