Story of a girl who refused to give up her bus seat and invigorated the struggle for racial equality
One cold evening on December 1st, 1955, city of Montgomery, the US state of Alabama. She sat on the bus seat, tired of returning from work all day. A white man got on the bus. The driver told her to leave the seat. Racial segregation was no stranger for her. Her city has separated white and blacks’ churches and shops. She was also familiar with burnt houses of the blacks by white racists. But at that moment, she decided to follow the core belief in her heart that all humans are equal. She refused to leave the seat, and the bus driver called the police. They arrested her first for violating the law and then fined her. Instead of paying a fine, she filed an appeal to the High Court to repeal this inhuman law. And so, began the Montgomery bus boycott of American history. The story of Grandpa kept us indifferent to the scenic view from the van window. We were in the middle of our journey to Phoolbun from Nairangabad. Uncle Patel on the driving seat and me and Yani Apa on the rear seats were so involved in this story and listening. I was very happy. Next two weeks would be a golden opportunity to take Yani Apa around to my favourite places in Phoolbun. Grandpa continued. Rosa Park`s courage to dissent gave a lot of encouragement to the black leaders across the United States. They became united for the bus boycott. Martin Luther King Jr. became their leader. It was a difficult state of affairs. Most black Americans were not car owners. The strike meant walking miles to work. But they were all determined and united. The protest continued for three hundred and sixty-one days. Finally, the Supreme Court repealed the Alabama discrimination law. The decision further compounded the difficulties. Rosa and other leaders received threats. Bomb blasts blew up many houses of black leaders. This included Martin Luther King Jr. home as well. Uncle completed a difficult turn on the road and said. Martin Luther King, who is a well-known human rights activist, is one of the best orators of modern times. He did his famous speech, “I have a dream”, in front of two hundred and fifty thousand people in Washington in 1963. It still has the power to enthuse and motivate listeners. He is the most powerful voice, the most passionate thinker of present history. This Atlanta Georgia Nobel laureate and a great leader of the non-violent movement for human rights was assassinated at Memphis in 1968… To be continued