I'm not completely clear on whether Rosa Parks was approached by Civil Rights leaders before her bus trip or not. If so, Ms. Parks was but one candidate among others who would refuse to give up their seat.
What Rosa Parks did, or perhaps more accurately what people focused on due to her refusal, did change things in this nation for the better. Parks part in it should be remembered. I am not inclined to grant her sainthood.
Our founding fathers laid the groundwork for people like Parks and King to achieve their goals. Our founding fathers in many instances gave up their personal standing, in order to push this new nation into being. Some of them died in poverty, losing everything.
The revolutionary war soldiers died bringing this nation into existance. The Civil War itself saw many die at least in part to better the lot of the black slave. Where is the cannonization of those men, mostly white northerners. Our military men and women kept this nation free and sovereign since. They died for every citizen.
Rosa parks focused her efforts on bettering the lot of a small fraction of our citizens. That should not be taken as an attempt on my part to dismiss her efforts. It should be taken as an attempt to bring things back into perspective.
There are aspects of the civil rights movement that I admire. There are aspects of the civil rights movement that I dispise. You see, the civil rights movement is still active today. In most instances it's efforts are counter to Martin Luther King's ideology.
King did good works. Rosa Parks played a part in the civil rights movement that improved the lives of Black Americans. In that I respect Parks and King. I do not see them as important to the nation as our founding fathers or the people who have died to keep this nation and it's Constitution viable for all.
This wouldn't need to be said if there wasn't a movement to destroy the reputations of our founding fathers, and to loft King and even Parks up in their stead.
I utterly reject that attempt and find it proposterous.
As a guest on Bill Bloviating O'Reilly put it this evening, Blacks have alot to be proud of in regard to holding this nation to equality.
I totally agree with that sentiment as it is the spirit of America, to hold our country to it's foundation of equality and justice.
And Blacks have also fought in every war to defend this country. Absolutely.
Rosa Parks was for some time before her heroic action, a memeber of the NAACP and part of the voter registration movement. This was an event that had been in the planning for some time. That does not diminish what she did, but she was not a lone woman who had this idea just pop into her head one day.