Troy University’s Rosa Parks Museum will celebrate what would have been the Civil Rights icon’s 112thbirthday on Saturday, Feb. 1 with free admission to the museum and special programs honoring Mrs. Parks’ life and legacy.
Free admission will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the 1950s-era Montgomery City Bus will also be on hand for guests to visit. A children’s craft time will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and birthday cupcakes and cookies will be available while supplies last, beginning at 10 a.m.
Ann Clemons will present “The Life and Legacy of Rosa Parks,” beginning at 10 a.m. in the museum’s auditorium. Clemons, a former employee of the Montgomery Convention and Visitors Bureau, first took on the persona of Mrs. Parks as a part of the Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism. She, along with others, were recruited to portray legendary native Alabamians at the conference and were fitted with costumes by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Later that year, the group made an encore appearance at the grand opening celebration of Hyundai Motor Manufacturer at the Montgomery Museum at Fine Arts.
“The Gathering,” a program featuring Sheila McCauley Keys, Mrs. Parks’ niece, will take place in the auditorium at 2 p.m.
An active voice in efforts to preserve her aunt’s legacy, Keys wrote “Our Auntie Rosa: The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers Her Life and Lessons” in 2015 with award-winning journalist and author Eddie B. Allen, Jr.
“We hope all will join us for this special celebration as we honor the life and legacy Mrs. Parks,” said Donna Beisel, Director of Operations. “Mrs. Parks dedicated her life to activism, and as we celebrate what would have been her 112th birthday, we want to remember all of her contributions to fight for justice and civil rights.”
Located on the University’s Montgomery Campus on the spot of Mrs. Parks’ historic 1955 arrest, the Rosa Parks Museum opened on Dec. 1, 2000, with the mission of interpreting the story and legacy of Mrs. Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott for future generations. Constructed on the site of the former Empire Theater, the museum has become a major landmark in the revitalization of downtown Montgomery and annually draws visitors from throughout the country and around the world.
