This is not the first or only statue of Ms. Parks. Her act of righteous defiance has been memorialized all over the country from a bus station in Eugene Oregon:
to a park in Grand Rapids, Michigan:
It is a major tribute to have even one statue made in one's honor, let alone numerous ones throughout the country. But, the address of this newest statue rises above all of the others.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The location of this statue allows Rosa Parks to have a permanent seat in one of the most prominent seats of power -- the U.S. Capitol. As this photo shows, it also demonstrates how her divinely designed combination of dignity and defiance resonates loudly enough to override the partisan divide of politics.
How fitting that the woman whose motto could easily have been, "I shall not be moved," truly shall not be moved from her prominent, powerful perch. Her permanent presence in the Nation's Capital is a powerful exclamation point to the statement she made decades ago when she refused to give up her seat on that bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
Perhaps those in leadership who have stubbornly vowed that they would not be moved from their party lines might reflect on the true essence of the Civil Rights Movement and be moved to reflect on how government actions truly impact individuals and the overall progress of the nation.
Let's not forget that Mrs. Park's action was in response to government-sanctioned laws that denied Blacks equal rights and basic human dignities-- laws that, to those in power at the time, seemed appropriate and harmless; laws that were designed to keep one group comfortable at the great expense of masses of other people.
(AP Photo/Khue Bui)
Let's pray that those who give a hearty hand clap to Ms. Park's statue will have enough heart to hand us the statutes that we need to move our country further away from the injustices that marked the Civil Rights Era, not closer to them.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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