RNC commemorates Rosa Parks and the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott

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This undated file photo shows Rosa Parks riding on a Montgomery Area Transit System bus. [Photo Credit: AP Photo | Montgomery Advertiser]

Dec. 5 marks the 61st anniversary of the Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott, which began in the days following Rosa Parks‘ arrest after she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man, as was the custom for the time period in 1955.

The boycott lasted 381 and garnering national attention and ultimately leading to the landmark 1956 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation on public transportation.

On Monday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) Co-Chair Sharon Day released a statement commemorating the anniversary of 1955-1956 boycott.

“Rosa Parks’ courage on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in December 1955 helped fuel one of the great demonstrations for freedom and equality in our nation’s history,” Day wrote.

“Her stand for human dignity and equality lit the spark of conscience in citizens across Montgomery, leading to a bus boycott which dealt a blow to injustice and drew national attention to the burgeoning civil rights movement. By refusing to take the bus, freedom-minded people across that city made a 381-day declaration that liberty was of infinitely greater importance than any convenience in getting where they had to go. Today we commemorate the Montgomery bus boycott, a bold act of conviction which helped put segregation to death and moved America one step closer to completely honoring the Declaration of Independence’s truism that “all men are created equal.”