AARP Sponsors 381 Days: Montgomery Bus Boycott Story
By: States: Tennessee Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2008-01-17 15:47:37.406114-05:00
Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of the segregated bus on Dec. 1, 1955, was an isolated incident of heroism. Her subsequent arrest resulted in a one-day protest in which members of the black community in Montgomery, Alabama walked off the city transit lines.
That exploded into a 381-day bus boycott by 50,000 people that helped launch America's civil rights era and introduce its leaders, including a young preacher named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to the nation.
"Fittingly, the "381 Days: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Story" traveling exhibit comes to the National Civil Rights Museum in February—Black History Month.
The exhibit will be in Memphis until mid-April, just days after the 40th anniversary of King's assassination at the hotel that now houses the National Civil Rights Museum.
AARP is the sole national sponsor of the traveling exhibit, which was developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Services and the Troy University Rosa Parks Library and Museum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott.
"AARP proudly honors the individuals who confronted our government with a simple request: `Protect and treat all U.S. citizens equally under the law,'" said AARP State Director Rebecca Kelly. "As an advocacy organization for social change, we hope our participation in this exhibit will serve as a reminder that activism is an American tradition—and one that we want to pass down to future generations."
The exhibit features a collage of photographs, political cartoons and other items from the times, as well as contemporary writings, films, lectures and educational activities for people of all ages.
A reception sponsored by AARP on Feb. 7, the night before the exhibit's opening, was to feature veterans of the civil rights battle, including Juanita Abernathy, widow of the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, who helped King lead the Southern Christian Leadership Council.
Young children were the target of Tuesday morning storytelling sessions throughout February. A series of documentaries and popular films including "Freedom Song," "Freedom on the Move" and "The Legacy of Rosa Parks" were to be showcased on Thursday nights throughout February and March. And the "Wake Up Everybody" concert featuring local performers was set for Feb. 23.
AARP also recruited volunteers to collect the stories of people who lived through those turbulent times, particularly those who witnessed the 1968 sanitation workers strike in Memphis, where King gave his famous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech the day before a sniper shot and killed him.
Those stories were to be added to the Voices of Freedom collection that is housed at the National Civil Rights Museum.
preview