A Day with Mrs. Parks
In 1992, I had the honor of meeting
Rosa Parks. I was a teacher at the new Rosa Parks Middle School in
Olney, MD. Mrs. Parks had been invited to come and speak at the
school's dedication to help the community honor the school that had
been named in honor of her life-long work in civil rights and education
support. I was chosen to be her 'chauffer' for the day and jumped at
the chance. When I arrived at the door of her cousin's house in nearby
Upper Marlboro, MD, Mrs. Parks herself greeted me and another teacher
at the door and welcomed us in. Quite a surprise to us – as she was
quite a celebrity in our eyes.
What I really appreciated right
away was that she didn't see herself as a celebrity – just a woman who
did the right thing at the right time and didn't back down in the face
of difficulty. She did have a personal secretary, a Mrs. Steele, who
accompanied her and helped with all the demands that this vibrant 82
year old lady put on herself. They were both very enjoyable to talk
with. Mrs. Parks was so full of energy, it was hard to believe she was
over 60. There are two things she said in particular that stand out to
me. When we pulled up in front of the school, she slid up to the
window of the car like a little girl seeing the big city for the first
time, and said, “Look at big and new this place is.” This surprised me
because I had assumed this icon of the Civil Rights movement must have
miriad buildings and schools named after her. To my surprise, Mrs.
Steele said that all the buildings named after her had been older
structures, renamed in her honor – RPMS was the first, brand new
building. The second thing she said that day that stuck in my mind was
that she didn't refuse to stand up because she was physically tired,
but because she was tired of being treated like she wasn't a worthy
human being.
Mrs. Parks lived another 10 or so years, and that
day that I got to spend with was one of the most memorable that I have
ever spent with anyone. After working at NASA for 5 years, and meeting
astronauts, world class scientists, and even presenting before the
Queen of England, Rosa Parks is the person I remember most. Her
couragous act to remain in that seat, and then to use her influence to
raise others up is what separates her from all the others. She made a
real difference in our country, in our world, and in that little
community of Olney, Maryland. Thank you, Rosa.
--John L., Middle School Teacher, Maryland
