Today, I am thankful for those who stand up for others, even in the most unusual ways.
We live in a world where folks are prejudged by their physical traits, such as the length of their hair or the clothes on their back. Some see a young woman with a tattoo, and they immediately believe she must be a troubled youth. Some gaze upon a boy with long hair and they instantly believe the teenager is disrespectful of authority. Some come across a quiet man on a bus wearing a hood over his head, and they worry he’s affiliated with a gang. What if it turned our that the woman had secured the tattoo as a memory to her deceased mother? Or the teenage boy was growing his hair long so he could donate it to charity? Or the man on the bus was simply homeless and hungry?
Profiling is never right because it involves prejudice – a preconceived notion not based on fact or reason.
Speaking of people on buses, today I’m reminded of an African American woman, who at the age of 42, boarded a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama in early December 1955, after a long day at work as a seamstress. She paid her fare and sat in the designated section. After a few stops, the bus driver noticed the bus was becoming crowded, so he demanded several passengers, including the seamstress, to move further back into the bus. The other 3 complied, but she refused. Her civil disobedience led to her arrest, the loss of her job, and even death threats. She became a national symbol of the hatred and prejudice that African Americans suffered, even 90 years after the end of slavery.
We commemorate her simple act of ‘taking a stand by taking a seat’ on this day (Feb 4) – her birthday.
Rosa Parks was a hero who suffered for the sake of others. As we celebrate Black History Month in February, let’s never forget the sacrifice folks like Rosa made for the betterment of humanity.
Comentários