TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — The city of Montgomery recognized the 70th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat.
Oct. 1 was the 70th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ refusal, which led to the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott just five days later. In commemoration of Rosa Parks and her impact on the civil rights movement, a Unity Walk was held in downtown Montgomery.
“It’s almost a spiritual feeling honestly, walking down Dexter Avenue,” said Montgomery resident Tunisia Thomas. “It just felt like a very touching moment; I’m almost in tears now.”
Each year, participants gather at King Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Preached from 1954-1960, and march down Dexter Avenue to the Rosa Parks Museum. During the march, walkers shared stories and memories that have been passed down through generations.
“I have a grandmother who is 97 years old, and she was actually here during the bus boycott and took part in it, so she tells me stories all the time,” Thomas said. “She talks about being at the mass meetings; she talks about how the crowd reacted to Dr. King when he arrived at the Church, and how much charisma he had. She heard the bomb that damaged his home, she heard it go off.”
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It is stories like that one that Thomas said helps her remember how far civil rights have come, but also how far they still need to go.
“It just tells me that I too can make a difference,” Thomas explained. “I’m pretty reserved and quiet, even a little shy, but I have fight in me. So seeing her take the stand that she did, it tells me I can do the same thing.”
Thomas isn’t standing alone. Latisha Watford, one of the march’s speakers, is part of a family that has spent years fighting for civil rights.
“My father worked inside of the democratic organization in the Third Ward, which is where Texas Southern University is,” Watford said. “They were very, very successful in getting African Americans to the polls as they became eligible to vote. My mother, on the other hand, was lowkey, in the background.
“She was the trusted woman who babysat children whose parents were literally out [protesting] in the streets.”
But fighting for years comes with a price.
“It’s hardly nostalgic. If anything, its potentially discouraging, except I won’t allow circumstances such as this to discourage me.”
Much like Watford, Thomas refuses to accept the feelings of doubt.
“There’s no place for fear. It’s time for change.”
At exactly 6:06 p.m., bells rang out to commemorate the exact moment, 70 years ago, that Rosa Parks took a stand. The events of the evening were also in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Rosa Parks museum in downtown Montgomery.
