Professional+Journals

This newspaper article tells the story of a young white woman who travelled to Jackson, Mississippi so she could participate in activities that supported the Civil Rights Movement. Published by the Audubon News-Advocate in July, 1964

Back of the Bus, Montgomery Alabama (1955)
Buses provided the primary means of transportation for the city's black population. Some of the all-white drivers insulted black by calling them "niggers", "apes", and "black cows". Blacks could NOT sit down in the first four rows (WHITES ONLY sign). If all the front seats were taken, and more whites entered -- the blacks had to offer their seats to the whites. If a white person sat down next to a black, the black had to stand. If the black section of the bus was full, but the white section was empty -- the blacks still had to stand. City ordinance enforced the policy, and violators were jailed. Mrs. Rosa Parks, a black tailor's assistant, was on the bus riding home as the bus filled up. As more white's boarded, Mrs. Parks was told to stand -- she was tired and refused. The driver threatened to call the police. "Go ahead and call", she replied. She was charged with violating the law and jailed. Phone calls went out to the black leadership and a plan was formed. Forty to Fifty ministers and other civic leaders met. They organized a boycott by blacks of the city buses, any form of violent retaliation was prohibited, as a few black toughs threatened to "beat the hell" out of a few white bus drivers. Leaflets were distributed. The Sunday Paper accused the blacks of causing the problem, of "planting" Mrs. Parks on the bus, and of engaging in the same tactics as "White Councils" did in boycotting black businesses. King was confused, //was this a negative-solution, was the boycott unethical?// After much thought King realized it was not really a "boycott", but a refusal to participate in a system which trampled their rights. The financial damage caused to the bus company was not intended, not the goal. He thought of Thoreau, "he who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with evil." **And blacks were through cooperating**. On the night before the boycott was to begin, King went to bed frightened and worried -- what if the people were too frightened or apathetic to participate? They hoped for 60% participation, what if they got a lot less -- they would be laughed at, wouldn't the movement suffer a great setback? At dawn he was surprised to see almost 100% participation! They had more meetings, King was called to lead, and spoke to the assembly: > We are American citizens, and we are determined to acquire or citizenship to the fullness of its meaning. . . We are here because we are determined to get the situation corrected. .(//he reviewed how blacks were treated by the system//). . But here comes a time when people get tired. We are here this evening to say to those who have mistreated us so long what **we are tired -- tired of being segregated and humiliated;** tired of being kicked about by the brutal feet of oppression. > We have no alternative but to protest. . . we come here tonight to be saved, to be saved from patience that makes us patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom & justice. . (//he spoke of the threats of division and apathy to the movement)//. I want to say that in all of our actions we must stick together. Unity is the great need of the hour, and **if we are united we can get many of the things** that we not only desire, but which we justly deserve. > If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. . .If we are wrong, Jesus of Nazareth was merely a Utopian dreamer who never cam down to earth. I**f we are wrong, justice is a lie.** > In our protest there will be no cross burnings. No white person will be taken from their home by a hooded Negro mob and brutally murdered. There will be no threats and intimidation. We will be guided by the highest principles of law and order. . . **our actions must be guided by the deepest principles of our Christian faith**. Love must be our regulating ideal. . . . > Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that use you. If we fail to do this our protest will end up as a meaningless drama on the stage of history, and its memory will be shrouded with the ugly garments of shame. . . (when the history books are written). . . There lived a race of people, of black people, of **people who had the moral courage to stand up for their rights**. And thereby they injected a new meaning into the veins of history and civilization. They had meetings with the mayor and lawyers, some unacceptable offers were made. They were interested in preserving only ONE thing, they racial status quo. King learned it's hard to pursuade the privileged to surrender their privileges on their own. You had to make them do it. You must continue to resist until they do it. Some whites were sympathetic and supported the movement both publicly and secretly. They continued to have mass meetings where they were encouraged to persevere. In the negotiations which went on the Mayor tried to separate the movement. Tried to label King as "wanting to much", blaming him for the failure to negotiate a settlement. The Mayor tried to appeal to the pride of different leaders within the movement. By January King was getting both threatening phone calls and hate mail. His wife and small children were threatened, but still he continued. While at a meeting on January 30th he got the news that his home had been bombed! For a while friends with weapons guarded his home at night, it troubled him, and after a while he told them to leave. He would face any violence with only his faith in God and the power of Love. He was arrested and tried over the boycott in March. The NAACP had good legal representation there, he was still convicted and they started an appeal -- the case made National headlines, the boycott was now front page news. They began to get a lot of newspapers and television coverage. The case slowly moved forward to the U.S. Supreme Court -- in November of 1956, the Court found the segregational laws for buses unconstitutional. In December of 1956 (one year after the trigger), whites & blacks could sit together on a bus
 * The Problem**
 * The Trigger (Dec 1955)**
 * The Plan**
 * What Happened**
 * Factions**
 * Trial & Publicity & Resolution**