One Seat at a Time

In honor of Black History Month, I did a lot of research on assistants of color. I was amazed by the fabulous men and women in our administrative history there were to choose from. To learn about their challenges and accomplishments has been awe-inspiring and enlightening. There were a few in particular that really called to me (which I promise I will highlight later this year), but I kept going back to a particular individual. Someone who I had no idea had been a secretary. Someone who is nationally recognized as a civil rights icon, Rosa Parks.

She may have made history as the brave woman who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus back in 1955, but she was so much more than that one important act against racial discrimination. Rosa Parks was a wife and daughter. She was an advocate for the needy and those who didn't have a voice. She was a member of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), which helped her coordinate her boycott. She was a caregiver and helper, all qualities that made her a great assistant.

Her quest for justice and equality was a bumpy one. She saw many cruel trials and tribulations after her bus boycott. At 42 years old, Parks and her family were forced to move when she and her husband lost their jobs after her arrest. As an assistant to a tailor at the Montgomery Fair Department Store, she looked for similar work after moving to Hampton, Virginia. Virginia plays an important part in my own life, as my daughter, Amelia, was born on a military base in Hampton, VA. Unfortunately, Park's time there was a painful one, as no civil rights group or organization would hire her. The NAACP asked her to join them at rallies and marches urging her to speak about her experience, but they refused to help her find work. During this time, Rosa was not yet known as the prominent civil rights symbol she is today. She grew very ill from the undue stress her family was under, and in 1957, they moved to Detroit, Michigan.

After their move, she continued to be a champion for her community. She volunteered for John Conyers' Congressional campaign. Conyers was a Democrat politician who served as a U.S. Representative from 1965-2017. At 52 years of service, he was the longest-serving African American member of Congress in history. After Conyers' election, he hired Parks as his receptionist and administrative assistant. She loved her work with Conyers. She focused the majority of her time on job discrimination, education, and affordable housing legislation and assisting Conyers' constituents. Parks worked for him until her retirement in 1988. During this time, Parks became quite the legend. Supporters and followers all over the United States were inspired by her activism and flocked to meet her. Conyers once said, "Rosa Parks is so famous that people would come by the Detroit office just to meet her, not me!"

Rosa Parks died on October 24, 2005, at the age of 92. She left behind a rich legacy. One of resistance against racial discrimination and empathetic activism. I am inspired and empowered by her story. It is a story of courage, grit, and a desire to make a difference... one bus seat at a time....