Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  IDENTITY

Rosa Parks Dies at 92
by Bob Roehr
2005-12-01

This article shared 4740 times since Thu Dec 1, 2005
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


by Bob Roehr

Rosa Parks, whose act of civil disobedience in 1955 inspired the modern civil rights movement, died Oct. 24 in Detroit, Mich., according to the Associated Press. She was 92.

Parks's moment in history began in Dec. 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Ala. Her arrest led to a 381-day boycott of the bus system by Blacks that was organized by a 26-year-old Baptist minister named Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Later, a court ruled for desegregation of public transportation in Montgomery; however, it was not until the 1964 Civil Rights Act that all public accommodations nationwide were desegregated.

Even into her 80s, she was active on the lecture circuit, CNN reported. Parks spoke at civil rights groups and received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. In recent years, she made news by filing a lawsuit against rap duo OutKast, who recorded a song named after the activist. ( The parties settled in April 2005, according to an item in The Detroit News. )

Saying goodbye

Underscoring Parks's importance and influence, the nation took several days to bid the civil-rights icon farewell.

Hundreds of people slowly filed past the body of civil rights icon Rosa Parks on Oct. 29 at St. Paul A.M.E. Church in Montgomery, Ala., The Detroit Free Press reported. The event took place just miles from the downtown street where she made history.

The following day, Parks became the first woman—and the second African-American—to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. More than 30,000 Americans filed silently by her casket in the and a military honor guard saluted the woman, CNN reported. Positioned under a spotlight, Parks's casket stood in the center of a Rotunda that includes a bronze bust of King. By lying in the historic building, Parks shared an honor tribute bestowed upon Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and other national leaders. The Houston Chronicle reported that President George Bush ( who presented a wreath but did not speak ) and congressional leaders gathered for a brief ceremony, listening as members of Baltimore's Morgan State University choir sang 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic.'

On Nov. 2, thousands of mourners packed a Detroit church for an emotional final goodbye that took seven hours. About 4,000 people crowded the Greater Grace Temple, and another 1,000 people sat in an overflow room of the church, according to CNN. Hundreds more lined up outside the building. Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.; Rev. Al Sharpton; Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.; and singer Aretha Franklin were just a few of the luminaries who attended. Just before the casket was closed around noon, the audience sang 'We Shall Overcome,' the civil rights movement's anthem. Bush had ordered the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff on that day in remembrance of Parks.

Memorial services took place across the country, from Los Angeles to New York City. Locally, various people also noted the importance of Parks in history. On Oct. 30 at Beloved Community Church on Chicago's South Side, several prominent residents spoke out about the civil-rights leader, according to CBS 2 Chicago. Congressman Bobby Rush, D-Chicago, told the congregation that she 'was a heroine that history could not deny' while the Rev. Willie Barrow said that Parks 'embodied the courage that is indeed so important to the world in which we live.'

'Extraordinary courage'

Not surprisingly, sentiments poured in for Rosa Parks following her death. Obama, in an official statement from his office, called Parks 'a genuine American hero' and added that because of her fearlessness 'she helped lay the foundation for a country that could begin to live up to its creed.'

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said that ' [ w ] hen Rosa Parks refused to give her seat up to a white man on December 1, 1955, she demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of daily mistreatment and systemic injustice experienced by African-American men, women and children, not just in Alabama but all across the country.' The organization also stated that her 'legacy will live on for generations...'

In addition, the National Stonewall Democrats Black Caucus issued a release declaring that Parks's life 'cannot be summed up in one statement. [ Oct. 24 ] is a sad day for Black America, America and the world.' C. Dixon Osburn, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, stated that the United States 'has lost an important civil rights leader whose work strove for the equality of all Americans. Ms. Parks's historic act of defiance and her subsequent social justice work has been an inspiration to everyone in the civil rights community.' Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese commented that 'Parks didn't stop on the bus, but kept going, working throughout her life to make the world a better place. With her passing, a true legend is lost but an inspiring imprint will always remain.'

T.J. Williams, a gay gospel singer, praised Parks but added that racial and sexual minorities should continue the fight she initiated. He told Windy City Times that 'every African American and every gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning person in this era should take [ Parks's ] legacy as [ an impetus ] to continue marching and praying until justice rains down for all. We should remember that Rosa called everyone who believes in justice to stand together. Her legacy signaled for unification.'

Parks could make history again. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-2nd, and former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., have introduced bills that would erect a statue to Parks in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, according to The Chicago Defender. If passed, it would be the first statue of an African American. Jackson said 'Rosa was more than the 'mother of the civil rights movement.' Her dignified leadership inspired others to engage in courageous acts.' His bill, H.R. 4145, was introduced Oct. 26. Kerry has introduced a similar bill to memorialize Parks.


This article shared 4740 times since Thu Dec 1, 2005
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty
2024-03-14
Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty, 82, of The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, and a former resident of Andersonville, passed away Feb. 16 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Dorothy was raised on Chicago's South and ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Bryan Dean Wilson
2024-03-14
Bryan Dean Wilson, 64, of Chicago, passed away March 11. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bryan graduated from Washington High school in Cedar Rapids before earning his B.S. in Biology from Mount Mercy University, also in ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood
2024-03-13
LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77
2024-03-12
On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner
2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

Pro-choice activists protest crisis pregnancy center on International Women's Day
2024-03-11
The rainy weather on March 8 didn't deter a passionate group of pro-choice protesters from gathering in Old Town on International Women's Day. Following the opening of Women's Care Center—a crisis pregnancy center—directly next to Pl ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Charles R. Tobin
2024-03-03
Charles R. Tobin, 81, peacefully passed away on Dec. 23, 2023, in the company of his husband, after living with Lewey body dementia for several years. Charlie was born and raised in the Fernwood neighborhood on ...


Gay News

NATIONAL School items, HIV/AIDS activist dies, Nex Benedict, inclusive parade
2024-03-01
In a new survey, the Pew Research Center asked public K-12 teachers, teens and the U.S. public about the ongoing scrutiny placed on classroom curricula, mainly regarding race and LGBTQ+ identities, ABC News noted. Among other ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Trailblazing judge and attorney Patricia M. Logue passes away
2024-02-26
The Honorable Patricia Logue ("Pat" to her friends, Trish" to her family) was a brilliant lawyer, a trailblazing jurist and a hero to the LGBTQ community. Pat's legacy includes numerous landmark cases she litigated over her ...


Gay News

Oklahoma non-binary student dies after being assaulted
2024-02-21
Officials acknowledged there are unresolved questions about a 16-year-old non-binary Oklahoma student who died one day after a fight in a high school bathroom, NBC News noted. Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, ...


Gay News

Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag
2024-02-10
On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...


Gay News

GLAAD remembers Cecilia Gentili, transgender Latina, actress, activist, health care activist, journalist
2024-02-06
--From a press release - (New York, NY - February 6, 2024) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to the death of transgender actress and advocate Cecilia Gentili and elevating voices of transgender and political leaders honoring ...


Gay News

More information emerges about death on Atlantis gay cruise
2024-02-04
By Lu Calzada - Further details have emerged following the death of a Chicago man on a Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas Atlantis cruise targeted towards gay men. Following a Reddit post by the man's sister — which has ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.