“A pillar of the modern day civil rights movement, Rosa Parks’s courageous spirit and pointed expression of non-violence paved the way for the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act,” said Ross.  “Brilliant in its simplicity, the impact of Rosa Parks’s refusal to relinquish her seat to a white passenger will continue to be felt for generations to come.  Rosa Parks is truly a legend and will be deeply missed, but her spirit and her legacy will live on forever in the multitude of lives that were changed by her bold decision on that bus.  Her gesture transformed the South and America in a positive way by promoting actions that can lead to historic change through non-violence.  Our nation will forever be indebted to Rosa Parks for leading our nation on the path to becoming a beacon of liberty and justice for the entire world to see.”

Rosa Parks passed away last week in Detroit at the age of 92.  An Alabama native, Parks is credited as being the mother of the modern civil rights movement when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in 1955.