Rosa Parks Day
Rosa Parks Day is a holiday dedicated to honoring the significant contributions of Rosa Parks to the American civil rights movement. It commemorates her act of civil disobedience on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This pivotal moment sparked widespread protests and boycotts, ultimately leading to a Supreme Court ruling that deemed bus segregation illegal. Rosa Parks Day is recognized on different dates across various states: some celebrate it on December 1, the anniversary of her arrest, while others, like Ohio and Oregon, honor her on February 4, her birthday. The day has been officially recognized in multiple states, including California, Missouri, and Texas, reflecting a growing acknowledgment of Parks' legacy. In August 2021, a bill was proposed in the U.S. Congress to establish Rosa Parks Day as a federal holiday, though it has not yet passed. As of 2024, the observance of Rosa Parks Day varies by state, with some recognizing it as an official holiday and others commemorating it in different ways.
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Rosa Parks Day
Rosa Parks Day is a holiday that recognizes the contribution Rosa Parks made to the American civil rights movement. Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955. The boycotts that followed led to a Supreme Court action making bus segregation illegal.
A bill to make December 1 an annual federal holiday honoring Parks was proposed on August 27, 2021, by US Representatives Joyce Beatty, Jim Cooper, and Terri Sewell. At the time the bill was proposed, Rosa Parks Day was already celebrated in several states. Ohio and Oregon recognized Parks on the anniversary of her February 4, 1913, birthday, while California, Missouri, and Texas celebrated on the anniversary of her December 1 arrest.
Background
Montgomery was one of a number of Southern states that had long-standing Jim Crow laws in the 1950s. These laws legalized discrimination and segregation, restricting the access of Black residents in public spaces. In some cases, African Americans were forbidden entry altogether. In others, such as buses and movie theaters, they were only allowed to sit in certain designated areas.
Several activist groups organized boycotts against these laws, but on December 1, 1955, Parks made a decision that jump-started the movement to end segregation. On her way home from work that day, she was seated in the first row of the designated section for Black passengers near the rear of a municipal bus. When all the seats designated for whites were filled, Parks and several others were asked to give up their seats to white passengers. The others agreed, but Parks refused.
She was arrested. Several days later, she was found guilty of violating the Jim Crow laws and fined. Activist groups, including one led by Martin Luther King, Jr., organized and held bus boycotts in response to Parks’ arrest. The boycotts began on December 5, the date of Parks’ trial. These boycotts continued for nearly a year and culminated in the legal case known as Browder vs. Gayle, which was appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled bus segregation was illegal. Parks was called the first lady of the American civil rights movement as well as the mother of the freedom movement. She received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Parks died on October 24, 2005, at age 92, just weeks before the fiftieth anniversary of her history-making action.
Overview
Rosa Parks Day was first celebrated as a state holiday in California on February 4, 2000, after it was approved by the state legislature. Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Rep. Beatty, one of the co-sponsors of the bill to make the day a federal holiday, was also the one to propose it as a state holiday in Ohio in 2005. The law was approved in April 2006. Ohio chose December 1, the day of Parks’ arrest, to honor her.
In August 2006, the Missouri state legislature passed a law establishing Rosa Parks Day in that state. The same law required the governor to issue an annual proclamation in recognition of Rosa Parks Day. Missouri chose to celebrate Parks on her February 4 birthday.
Oregon Governor John A. Kitzhaber, issued an official proclamation on November 13, 2014, ordering a state-wide celebration honoring Rosa Parks Day. The December 1 date of her arrest was chosen for the commemoration. The proclamation called upon all Oregonians to honor Parks’ legacy by continuing to strive for equality.
In 2018, Parks’ home state of Alabama designated December 1 as a paid holiday for local and state government workers. The legislation was proposed by State Senator Vivian Figures, but it stopped short of making the day a state holiday. The action passed without opposition in the legislature, but it was unclear how many local and county governments would make the day a legal holiday. Some government officials noted that choosing December 1 for the commemoration was honoring a day when the law was broken.
Texas joined the states honoring Parks with an official holiday in 2021. Prior to that, the day was honored unofficially in several parts of the state, such as Austin. The legislation was approved on May 17 and became effective on September 1. Texas chose December 1 as Rosa Parks Day.
On August 27, 2021, US House of Representatives Bill H.R. 5111 was proposed by Cooper and co-sponsored by Beatty and Sewell. The bill proposed December 1 for the commemoration. Like all House bills, H.R. 5111 requires approval of the US Senate and the signature of the US President before becoming a federal holiday, and the bill did not pass at that time.
Federal holidays are days approved by the United States Government as official holidays. On these days, non-essential federal offices are closed and government employees receive holiday pay. Many other businesses and institutions, such as state and local governments, schools, banks, and others, also use the federal holiday schedule as the basis of giving their employees time off.
By 2024, one state observed Rosa Parks Day on February 4; two states observed on the first Monday after February 4; and five states observed on December 1.
Bibliography
“A Brief History of Jim Crow.” Constitutional Rights Foundation, www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/a-brief-history-of-jim-crow. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
“Federal Holidays.” Legal Dictionary, 22 Apr. 2019, legaldictionary.net/federal-holidays/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Karni, Annie and Luke Broadwater. “Biden Signs Law Making Juneteenth a National Holiday.” The New York Times, 19 June 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/06/17/us/politics/juneteenth-holiday-biden.html. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Reynolds, Rose. “Bill Analysis, H.B. 3481.” Texas Government, 17 May 2021, capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/analysis/html/HB03481E.htm. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
“Rosa Parks.” History, 20 Feb. 2024, www.history.com/topics/black-history/rosa-parks. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
“Rosa Parks Day.” Oregon Education Association, 17 May 2023, oregoned.org/professional-excellence/conferences-events/events/rosa-parks-day. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Sharp, John. “Alabama Moves Ahead With 'Rosa Parks Day,' But Not as a Full-Fledged State Holiday.” Alabama.com, 13 Mar. 2018, www.al.com/news/mobile/2018/03/alabama‗moves‗ahead‗with‗rosa.html. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
Shepard, Ryan. “Rep. Joyce Beatty Leads the Push to Make Rosa Parks Day a Federal Holiday.” Black Information Network, 20 Sept. 2021, www.binnews.com/content/2021-09-20-rep-joyce-beatty-leads-the-push-to-make-rosa-parks-day-a-federal-holiday/. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.