Christian Leaders, Nation Further Honor Late Parks
Christian leaders across the religious spectrum paid tribute to the late Rosa Parks this week for her pioneering act and bold spirit of faith that led America into a new era of civil rights.
Christian leaders across the religious spectrum paid tribute to the late Rosa Parks this week for her pioneering act and bold spirit of faith that led America into a new era of civil rights.
"As we mourn the passing of this legendary woman, we are inspired by her life of faith that led to her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement," said World Council of Churches General Secretary the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a released statement Thursday. "That 'small and courageous act' on her part of not giving up her seat to a white passenger on a city bus started a protest that was felt throughout the United States and in fact the whole world as it, without a doubt, redirected the course of history."
Parks died on Monday at 92 years of age, just weeks before the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement that was sparked by her refusal to give up her seat in the bus to a white passenger on Dec. 1, 1955.
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As the nation lauded Parks upon her passing, Third District Congressman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) introduced a resolution to further honor the civil rights mother and the upcoming anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The legislation, co-sponsored by 60 members in the House, read, "Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives, that Congress recognizes and honors the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott, and recognizes the historical significance of the Montgomery bus boycott to the United States."
"Fifty years later our nation still has much to learn from those who dared to challenge the status quo," Rogers said, according to Ledger-Enquirer in Columbus, Ga.
In the midst of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, known then as the Southern Leadership Conference on Transportation and Nonviolent Integration, was formed by 60 persons from 10 states, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who served as the president of the organization.
Now, 48 years later, SCLC honors Parks as the "epitome of freedom."
"She was a strong lady and not afraid to take a stand,” said SCLC National President and CEO Charles Steele.
"I don’t think she realized at that time what impact her action would have on our society," he added. "We owe our life to not only Rosa Parks but to all of those who took a stand."
Recognizing the faith that emboldened Parks to courageously uncover wrong and do right, Richard Land, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said, “Throughout her life, she demonstrated a quiet and dignified strength in standing for justice and equal rights for all Americans.
"Rosa Parks stated it was her faith in God that gave her the strength and courage to persevere in a culture that denied basic human rights to African Americans," Land continued. "I am grateful for her indomitable spirit in the struggle for freedom and justice and for her unflagging dedication in calling our nation to close out the ugly era of racial segregation and to heed the biblical truth expressly stated in our nation’s Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal."
On Sunday, Parks will become the first woman and second African American to lie in honor for public viewing in the Capitol Rotunda – a rite that Congress has authorized only 29 times since 1852.
