[cyborg]

Now why did I have a feeling that LAWYERS are somewhere in this story???

Controversy #2: Rosa Parks, the song's namesake and, if you don't remember, civil rights pioneer, was advised to sue Outkast for using her name without permission. I wonder myself if Ms. Parks has ever heard the song; she said she was offended by the use of words such as "hoes" and "niggas," but her lawyers may have just filtered those out for her. For those who haven't heard the song (and this might include Ms. Parks), the name "Rosa Parks" is never uttered in the song itself. One has to wonder how many people who *didn't* know who Ms. Parks was before the song, now know thanks to Outkast's attempt to educate. With this lawsuit, her lawyers seem to be saying "thanks for nothing." It's a shame since Outkast, and "Rosa Parks," are probably closer in spirit to the movement than any of the people representing Ms. Parks.

As for the original situation, I went a few pages deep in google and didn't find anything. I remember this being discussed on FR though so maybe it's in here somewhere.

[jackbill]

As for the original situation, I went a few pages deep in google and didn't find anything. I remember this being discussed on FR though so maybe it's in here somewhere.

I found this at the following:

http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/rosaparks/story.asp

Two other women had been arrested on buses in Montgomery before Parks and were considered by black leaders as potential clients for challenging the law. However, both were rejected because black leaders felt they would not gain white support. When she heard that the well-respected Rosa Parks had been arrested, one Montgomery African American woman exclaimed, "They've messed with the wrong one now."

The web site seemed to favor Parks, i.e. it's not an unfriendly site.

By the way, I'm finding metacrawler.com to be better than Google.