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Congressional Gold Medal.com |
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Congressional Gold Medal Recipient
Rosa Parks
The Associated Press Rosa Parks, 84, holds a program from the Rosa Parks Elementary School dedication during the ceremony April 24, 1997, in San Francisco. Parks is known for her act of defiance on a Montgomery, Ala., bus in 1956 when she refused to move to the back of the bus.
Black History Month challenges world to remember great female contributions By ERIC FOSSELL - The Herald-Dispatch Whether it be in human rights, politics, sports, or entertainment, African-American women have made some of the greatest contributions to society. Tuesday kicks off Black History Month, a time to recognize the unique achievements of
African-Americans everywhere. Despite the groundbreaking achievements of legendary figures such as
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., many people often overlook the historical significance of African-American women.
Standing at the forefront is a gutsy southern woman who didnt have a force-of-nature voice such as Aretha Franklins or the national exposure of media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Yet Rosa Parks actions spoke louder than any lyrics or television dialogue. By refusing to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man in 1956, the seamstress and secretary from Montgomery, Ala., changed the course of history. Odd as it may seem, laws during that era required African-Americans to give up their public transit seats to whites throughout the South. Parks recognized the lack of humanity in such a policy and decided to challenge it. People often forget how much courage that required. By simply speaking up, Parks was arrested and jailed. Yet her defiance of the unjust law resulted in a yearlong bus boycott throughout much of the South. The unjust laws eventually were changed and Parks became the most prominent figure in Americas civil rights movement. Last year, she received the nations highest civilian award when President Clinton presented her the Congressional Gold Medal.
In some ways, Parks continued in the tradition of civil rights pioneers Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. Tubman escaped from slavery in the South and became an abolitionist just before the Civil War. She helped several hundred slaves escape to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad a complicated network organized for such a cause. Despite enormous rewards posted for her capture, Tubman continued with her cause and became known as the Moses of her people. Sojourner Truth, whose legal name was Isabella Van Wagener, wasnt as widely known for being an abolitionist, but she helped ex-slaves, especially with matters of resettlement and spoke about personal freedom.
Known for a personal magnetism that attracted people of all backgrounds and races, Truth also was a pioneer in the womens rights movement. She spoke at gatherings throughout the country during the 1850s and helped support herself by selling The Narrative of Sojourner Truth which featured a preface by African-American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Oprah Winfrey has become something of a modern-day Sojourner Truth, a woman passionately involved with issues that change peoples lives. Aside from being an entertainer, Winfrey also is a philanthropist and childrens rights activist. She stood beside President Clinton when he signed into law a 1994 bill that Winfrey had proposed to Congress. Its goal was to create a national database of convicted child abusers. Recently in the news for teaching classes at Northwestern University in suburban Chicago, Winfrey also is a media giant with tremendous clout. Her Book of the Month Club, for example, has turned several obscure writers into best-selling authors. Winfrey is a an example of someone who flourished against tremendous odds, having spent much of her childhood in poverty on her grandmothers rural Mississippi farm. Sources: The Associated Press and Encyclopedia Britannica.
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