SE Region and City of Montgomery Salute Rosa Parks
Historic marker honors mother of civil rights movement
In partnership with the city of Montgomery, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's South Eastern Region honored civil rights pioneer Rosa L. Parks with a historic marker that will forever link her contributions with the city and the organization.
"If you look at the impactful and life-changing work that Rosa Parks represented just by refusing to move from her seat, it is also exactly the impactful and life-changing work that Alpha Kappa Alpha's members take a stand on every single day," said Barbara A. McKinzie, the Sorority's international president.
"We impact lives by standing firm in our mission and belief that only by serving others, only by taking a stand for the disenfranchised and only by refusing to accept discrimination, injustice and conditions of poverty that afflict millions, we too are changing history and ultimately the world. We salute our member, Rosa L. Parks, for her courageous act and will continue to fondly remember her and her legacy, and that of our founders, who pledged lifelong ‘service to all mankind.'"
"It's only fitting this dedication take place during the month of February," said Dr. Juanita Sims Doty, the organization's South Eastern Regional Director. "By placing this historic marker here, we not only honor a woman who helped change the course of civil rights in this country, but we leave a lasting legacy for future generations to know and celebrate her brave efforts, as well as to remember how far we've come and how far we've yet to go."
Among the dignitaries joining Doty and other Sorority members for the commemoration were Deborah Dangerfield, the Sorority's executive director, Norwood Kerr, chairman of the Alabama Historical Association Marker Committee, who assisted with the design and narrative, and City Council member Tracy Larkin, who represented Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange and the city at the dedication.
State Rep. Thad McClammy was also present for the ceremony and accompanied students from E.D. Nixon Elementary. These students would never know the personal struggles of Parks, and so many others, who were part of a movement that made it possible for them to attend integrated schools, eat at lunch counters without being harassed or sit anywhere they wanted to on that bus that brought them to this important occasion. McClammy also brought E.D. Nixon Jr. along for the ride. "Nixon's father and Parks were close friends," McClammy said. "History has met at this place."
Montgomery County Commissioner Jiles Williams was also among the celebrants. A Montgomery native, he shared his childhood memories of waiting at the bus stop on Dexter Avenue with his mother. "Without Parks," he said, "I would have never been able to be a commissioner in Montgomery County. I appreciate what she's done for our people and for the world," he said.
The marker was posted at the exact site at Dexter Avenue in Montgomery's Court Square, where Parks boarded a Montgomery city bus, sparking the modern day civil rights movement in the U.S. It serves as a special tribute to Parks and becomes part of the city's permanent landscape for education, history and tourism.
In 1986, Rosa Parks was an honoree at Alpha Kappa Alpha's international conference "Connection" forum.
State Rep. Barbara Boyd presented a proclamation by the Alabama Legislature to the mayor's office and the organization. Titled "The Bus Stop," the marker was unveiled as the children's choir sang, "He's got the whole world in his hands," with a special verse for Parks: "He's got Rosa Parks in his hands."
"Someone touched her and it forever changed history," Doty said. "We have something that will be everlasting—a legacy for all to see."