To honor Rosa Parks, Montgomery, Alabama is hosting a number of activities in celebrations of Rosa Parks Day. The holiday was enacted by the Alabama Legislature in 2018 and Montgomery County in 2020, and it ends on December 6 with a mass meeting at Holt Street Memorial Baptist Church.
Known as the birthplace of the civil rights movement and the modern home of the social justice movement, Montgomery was the city where Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her bus seat on December 1, 1955.
This tragic event ignited the civil rights movement that took over the country years later.
If you have plans to be in Montgomery on Rosa Parks Day, here are 9 ways to celebrate.
Live Screening of 382: Organizing for the Future- December 3
The film, 382: Organizing for the Future, highlights not only the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but also modern-day activism currently happening in Montgomery.
66th Anniversary Montgomery Bus Boycott Community Educational Forum- December 4
Join community members at the Saint Paul AME Church for workshops including Youth Mentoring, Social Justice Leadership and Reflections: The First 5 Days beginning at 10 a.m. followed by a community forum and the 2021 Rosa Parks Day Youth Essay Competition Awards at 12 p.m. There will also be youth activities including storytelling by Joseph Trimble and a presentation by the Civil Rights Memorial center.
Preserving Their Legacy: Activists Then and Now- December 4
This program will feature author and activist Karen Gray Houston and the young women of local nonprofit Women in Training and will take place at the Rosa Parks Auditorium beginning at 10 a.m.
We Create Change Pop-Up Exhibit Opening Reception- December 5
Opening on the anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, this pop-up art exhibit examines several areas of protest, including mass incarceration, critical race theory and voter suppression. It will feature conversations from artists and subject-matter experts and will take place at KRESS on Dexter beginning at 5 p.m. The exhibit will be on display through December 20th.
Virtual Mass Meeting Re-enactment- December 6
In honor of Alabama State University’s Ralph D. Abernathy Lecture Series, this annual event celebrates the mass meetings of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and recognizes the brave individuals and organizations involved. During the boycott, these meetings occurred twice-weekly and functioned as informational, strategy-driven and spiritual sessions.
The Mass Meeting: Understanding the Roles of Churches in Changing Communities, December 6
On the first Monday in December 1955, a mass meeting was held to at Holt Street Memorial Baptist Church to announce the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Join Mayor Steven L. Reed at this community meeting and hear from Bishop J. Drew Sheard beginning at 7 p.m.
The Quest: A Historical Scavenger Hunt- December 1-7
This self-guided scavenger hunt takes visitors to historical sites to learn about the people and places that were pivotal to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Participants who visit all the sites and post on Facebook using the hashtag #mgmbusboycottchallenge will be entered into a drawing to win a historical swag bag.
A listing of all sites is available at www.mgmbusboycott.com. Images and locations are provided by the Montgomery Improvement Association and the African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium.
FREE Admission to the Rosa Parks Museum- December 1-4
Visitors are invited to enjoy free admission to the Rosa Parks Museum and view the Tired of Giving In: 65 Years since the Montgomery Bus Boycott exhibit, featuring Mrs. Parks’ original fingerprint card and personal effects from the Library of Congress, and the Women of the Movement traveling exhibit. The museum is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
MGM Bus Boycott Exhibit at the Legacy Museum- December 3-6
Visitors can explore the Montgomery Bus Boycott exhibit, curated by the Equal Justice Initiative, at their newly renovated Legacy Museum or pay respects to the victims of lynching and other violent acts of racial terror at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
