And the Country honored Rosa grandly and graciously.

Paying my highest respects and tribute to Rosa Parks;
An unassuming, relentlessly brave and quiet American Patriot and Hero;
Who took a simple stand for Freedom, Liberty and Justice with profound effect.
A Mentor whose simple Courage and Bravery this country direly needs today;
And whose character most of us can only dream to achieve.
In 1955; A time that lynchings and extreme violence was not uncommon against Black People that "got out of line" ...particularly in setting examples;  A quiet 42 year old lady seamstress got on the bus in Montgomery Alabama.  Although she was conciencious about Racism, Inequality and Injustice, ...she had no intention of causing any trouble for anyone;  It wasn't her nature.
She took her seat at the front of the Black Section toward the rear of the segregated bus, along with 3 other associates.  Shortly thereafter a caucasian "man" got on the bus and demanded her seat and for her to move herself and the Black Section sign farther back on the bus.  Montgomery law fostered such demeaning prejudice.  Her associates gave up their seats, but Rosa's concience spoke to her as it was prone to do, and she refused.  Rosa later said it wasn't a big deal;  She just thought it was wrong and took a stand.
She was arrested and booked.  She wasn't the first Black Person arrested for the offense; But she was the first to plead innocent and fight for Justice.
Rosa was a Seamstress by trade;  A quiet and simple person with BIG character.  She stood up to a biggoted, racist and dangerous social system.  Black children who heard of her actions in the face of such danger, thought she must have been a very large and strong woman in stature;  And other than stature, they were right;  The Right Stuff;  As brave in that dangerous environment, as a Soldier in hostile territory.  That would soon become quite apparant to the concience of our country as the growing dissent against racist injustice became a remarkably peaceful insurrection.
She stood her ground and demanded a trial, where she challenged the Constitutionality of the laws.
Rosa inspired the black communities of Montgomery and America;  And challenged our society's apathetic and acquiescent character.  To make Montgomery and Alabama and the courts take political notice during Rosa's court hearings, the black community of Montgomery started car-pooling en-mass and boycotted the bus transit system for over a year.  The bus system received much of their revenue from the black community.  Some white people joined the boycott and others avoided the bus in the abstract of the uprising and demonstrations, and the busses ran near empty.  The point was made; The Black Communities could bankrupt the South.
This simple lady and Those that stood up with her provided new and fresh catalyst to the growing national dissention to achieve the Equality, Justice and Freedom that our Declaration of Independence declared and our Constitution and Bill of rights guaranteed but a critical mass of other citizens and leaders did not have the benevelant intelligence nor bravery to guarantee.  I was 8 years old, and I remember well that the news of Rosa's actions inspired me to joy and hope, as did a number of other brave Patriotic Americans who stood up against the lying Injustices that were so obviously widespread and served no purpose but to falsely bolster and give license to self-importance, self-image and self-serving biggotry, ...mostly trickery for "syndicated" social, economic and empirical gain ...even when it was mostly psychological self-importance for less affluent people; VERY MUCH like the swell of a same sick trickery growing rather rapidly in politicis and their brainwashed / gullible followers today.  No wonder our Country is divided mainly by 2 political parties. Hitler called it "the two worlds"; One whose compelling nature is for compassion and benevelance, while the other's is quite the opposite and quite prone to not even realize it.
Rosa's bravery and character kindled the flame of hope that Equality, Freedom, Liberty and Justice might indeed  be achieved;  And the reward can be seen on her face here in 1955.  There was a remarkable and admirable restraint and strong character that was part of the success of the Black Freedom demonstrations and insurrection;  And I know from personal experience that understanding and restraint was much more their nature than that of the Whites that tried to squash their demand for Liberty and Justice for All.  The real question and test was whether or not peaceful restraint and intelligence would win over violent and ignorant biggotry.  The restraint impressed our Country's concience ...and me greatly in my own anger at how the "Colored People" were being treated and how ignorantly heinous the local White Police States were thinking, behaving and exposing their true natures.  Much if not most of the Blacks' exceptionally commendable character and restraint was being led by the new up and coming Leader and Patriot Dr. Martin Luther King, truely a Man among men and Hero among heroes.
Her stand contributed greatly to the growing national conciousness and demand for real Equality, Justice and Freedom; Here attracting and bolstering the rising star Dr. Martin Luther King.
Rosa won in court;  And she got to ride the bus and sit in any empty seat she desired;  Along with an entire segment of Americans who had been denied that right by biggoted or apathetic / acquiescent Amairkans.  Apathy and acquiescence is every bit as complicit as perpetration.
Rosa became a quietly humble but very active icon for taking a stand for Equality, Justice, Freedom and right against self-evident wrong.  She devoted her life to promoting such character;  It was her natural Being and destiny we should always remember, hold in the highest regard, and realize the importance of learning from.
Here is Rosa under a Rosa Parks Blvd sign, counseling inner-city kids in Detroit where she moved to in 1957;  Lest they ever forget;  And oh how easy it is for us to forget in our self-important natures.  In 1999 Rosa was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal;  The highest USA civilian honor.
I wonder what made Rosa the happiest:  The additional Equality, Justice and Freedom she helped so greatly achieve; Or realizing the importance and victory of taking a stand against great odds for what's right when those opportunities are needed and/or arise.
Rosa's last visit to Montgomery, where her earthly body and heavenly Being was grandly honored.
........while the USA Capitol Rotunda awaited giving her the highest National Honor of Resting In State for the debt we all owe so much to Rosa and such other brave Patriots.
ROSA PARKS
1913 - 2005
A REAL Patriot
And Rosa was equally received by her adopted hometown, Detroit Michigan;
Where her Earthly body will be laid to rest;
And her eternal Being will watch our Patriotic Duty to the examples she set.
Thank You Rosa, for being a shining example in the battles against biggoted, arrogant and self-important self-interests,
that we are once again fighting in the waxing and waning of power among men and empires of that character.
What does it take to REALLY understand and communicate with the real Blues?
Hurricane Katrina and the ethnic cleansing of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast made it
blatantly clear that the likes of the fourth reich seizing our Country so rapidly, and their
brain-dead / soul-dead / character-dead "nazi talk show" zombie groupies, surely can't.
But most of us know of someone who can give us a pretty good look at almost a century of Blues
and the fascist biggotry that has been so much a part of the Blues for over 250 years.