rosa-parks

A $10 Canadian bill featuring civil rights pioneer Viola Desmond will enter circulation next week.In 1946, Desmond was thrown out of a movie theater in Halifax, Canada, after she refused to leave a whites-only section. Her heroic actions occurred almost a decade before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Alabama. Desmond spent 12 hours in jail and had to pay a fine for the incident.She died in 1965 and was posthumously pardoned in 2010 by Mayann Francis, the province’s first African Nova Scotian lieutenant-governor, as Blavity previously reported.Desmond will be the first Canadian woman featured on the nation’s currency. Additionally, the new note will be the first vertically oriented bill in Canadian history. The bill will also include a picture of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, a passage from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and a map of Halifax’s North End, a historically Black neighborhood. Finally, it will feature an eagle feather, which represents the “ongoing journey toward recognizing rights and freedoms for Indigenous Peoples in Canada."Plans for the bill were announced in March. Desmond was chosen after the Bank of Canada requested candidates for the currency and had citizens vote on its website.Wanda Robson, Desmond’s sister, was on hand for the unveiling of the bill eight months ago.“It’s beyond what I ever thought. It’s beautiful,” she said at the time. “I say thank you, thank you, thank you. Our family will go down in history – in history, imagine that."Former Halifax school board chair Irvine Carvery believes the banknote is "a historic moment" that highlights the often-ignored history of African Canadians."What it means is that there's recognition in terms of the struggle that we, as African Canadians have gone through for all of our years of being here," he told CP24. "That was a pinnacle event, down in New Glasgow, when she refused to give up her seat. So to put her on the bill is, for me, a recognition that those struggles were real, and they continue through to today."Carvery also hopes the money will inspire more people to learn about Desmond's story.“I'm hoping having Viola on the bill will prompt people to want to know what's the story behind her, because still, there's a lot of people who have no idea who she was and what she stands for," he added. "Being on the $10 bill, people might want to say, 'Who is that person? Let me do a little research.'"Liking this content? Check these out:Canada Debuts New $10 Bill Honoring Black Civil Rights Pioneer Viola DesmondWhy Everyday Racial Profiling Is So Dangerous  April Ryan Is Calling Out Trump's Racism In New...

Civil rights icon Rosa Parks fled the racism of the South by moving to Detroit, Michigan.The home she would call her haven is now being prepared to be auctioned. According to The Associated Press, bidding for the house will start at $1 million and could go up to $3 million.Guernsey will auction the home and other items as part of its “African American Historic & Cultural Treasures” exhibit in New York City.  The small wooden home was relocated to Berlin after there were attempts to demolish Parks' house in 2016. Artist Ryan Mendoza and Parks' niece Rhea McCauley saved the home by turning it into a piece of art for others to see.In 1957, she left Montgomery after she refused to give up her seat to a white bus rider two years prior. She received an influx of death threats and racialized harassment because of her act of bravery. There will be several black historical items up for sale including the Jackson 5’s original recording contract, a few chapters of the original manuscript for Malcolm X’s autobiography featuring handwritten notes from Malcolm X and author Alex Haley as well as the original music sheets from The Temptations and The Supremes.The auction will be held on Thursday, July 26. The home Rosa Parks fled to in 1957 will soon be sold for millions pic.twitter.com/UALQeq6Owc— Newsweek (@Newsweek) July 26, 2018Liking this content? Check these out: Why Is Rosa Parks' House Now In Berlin?In Light Of The Condition Of The Country, Rosa Parks' House May Return Back To The U.S.EXCLUSIVE: Mariah Parker On Taking Her Oath On Malcolm X's Autobiography And The White Folks Who Are Going To 'Stay...

The state of Alabama has voted to recognize Dec. 1 as Mrs. Rosa L. Parks Day.According to WHNT Alabama, in a 102-0 vote on Thursday, the Alabama Legislature designated a day to honor the civil rights icon.Alabama legislature designates holiday to honor Rosa Parks https://t.co/idtjUH6Xhs pic.twitter.com/uUqX6WPOBd— WHNT (@whnt) March 24, 2018The holiday may not be recognized throughout the entire state. Counties and municipalities can elect to observe Dec. 1 as a day to honor Mrs. Parks.The bill was introduced by Sen. Vivian Figures, a Democrat from Mobile and must now be signed into law by the governor. December 1 marks the date Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery in 1955. The arrest marked the beginning of the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott that ushered in the Civil Rights Movement.America has a long way to go, but where it has come from is thanks to the courage of men and women like Rosa...

Media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, continues to pay her respects to Recy Taylor, a black woman who fought for justice after six white men abducted and raped her in 1944.Winfrey visited Taylor's gravesite in Abbeville, Alabama, on Tuesday while she was on assignment in the small town, WDHN News reported. Winfrey recently honored Recy Taylor for her brave acts, when she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 75th Golden Globe Awards.RT ABC "Oprah Winfrey visited an Alabama cemetery to pay respects to Recy Taylor, the civil rights hero she spoke about in her emotional Golden Globes speech. https://t.co/Q2blOpWNpW pic.twitter.com/C19eEYeesg"— WLEN Radio (@WLENRADIO1039fm) January 24, 2018Winfrey told WDHN that she was in Alabama for a 60 Minutes story, and decided to "pay homage and pay respects" to Taylor. I don’t believe in coincidences, but if I did this would be a powerful one. On assignment for @60minutes I end up in the town of Abbeville where #RecyTaylor suffered injustice , endured and recently died. (GGspeech) To be able to visit her grave so soon after ‘speaking her name ‘sharing her story, a woman I never knew. Feels like🙏🏾☁️❤️A post shared by Oprah (@oprah) on Jan 23, 2018 at 4:57pm PSTOprah told ABC News that visiting Taylor's grave meant a lot to her:“ I didn’t even know who Recy Taylor was until maybe a couple of years ago, and … one of the reasons I wanted to use her as a part of my Golden Globes speech is because I wanted everybody to know that the #MeToo movement didn’t just start now,”NPR reports that in the years after Taylor's assault, news of the attack and local authorities' lack of action spread. The black community and the NAACP sought justice Taylor. Civil rights activist, Rosa Parks investigated the case and pushed for an indictment. However, for a second time, the suspects were not prosecuted.Before her death in January, Taylor said she wanted an apology from officials the LA Times reported. "It would mean a whole lot to me," Taylor said. "The people who done this to me ... they can't do no apologizing. Most of them is gone."The Alabama legislature passed a resolution apologizing to Taylor in...

A few months ago, we reported that Rosa Parks' house was moving to Berlin, Germany in an effort to save it from demolition. Now, it seems that the house may be moving back to the U.S.The Associated Press reports that after less than a year of its stay in Berlin, American artist Ryan Mendoza is ready to send it back. After the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the growing call to remove Confederate monuments in the United States, the New York native said it's now clear to him that Parks' house needs to return home."It's actually become a necessity, as we see people rising up and seeing things for what they are," he said. "As Americans begin to understand they have to re-contextualize these monuments, the Confederate statues, there is a lack of civil rights monuments to balance things out."The house that is tucked away on his property continues to bring curious visitors daily, including Americans. "Imagine if the house were on a public setting in a prominent city in the U.S.?" he said. "That's an educational tool that shouldn't be denied the American people. They have to know their past."He is in talks with museums and a university about displaying the home, and a foundation has even offered to help with the cost of shipping it back. However, there's still no timeline on when it will be back.Although these are great options, Mendoza has an even better dream than that for the house: to see the derelict home reconstructed on the lawn of the White House with the blessing of U.S. President Donald Trump."Trump says that he's not a racist. This would be a wonderful moment for him to redeem himself in the eyes of Americans," Mendoza said. "He wants to embrace all of America's past. Why not embrace the house that Rosa Parks once lived in?"Parks' niece Rhea McCauley, who found a way to save the house in the first place, says she'd welcome to come back to America."We need all the help we can get, in light of all current events," she said. For every Confederate monument that is removed, replace it with one dedicated to our great Civil Rights Activists. That sounds like a...

Rosa Parks house has made it's way to Berlin. Yes, as in Berlin, Germany.Photo: Getty ImagesHer home is in the backyard of an American artist currently living in Germany. The reasoning? Detroit planned to tear down the home of the woman who is often credited with birthing the Civil Rights Movement after refusing to give up her bus seat for a white man in Alabama in 1955. Parks' niece, Rhea Rhea McCauley, found out and purchased the home for $500 while looking for ways to save it. She reached out to artist Ryan Mendoza, who happened to be in Detroit at the time. After they both appealed to Detroit’s mayor to protect the building, he made it clear he had no interest. Therefore, they went to Plan B which was to disassemble the home, packed it in shipping containers, transport it to Germany, and put it back together in an expensive operation that took several months.McCauley looks at her aunt's home as something priceless that is being mistreated. Her partner in saving the house, Mendoza, is surprised by the lack of effort to save the home as well. "The Rosa Parks house should actually be a national monument and not a demolition project,” he told Deutsche Welle.Mendoza also believes it’s apt that the house stands in a country that tore down a wall, and has left a nation planning to build a wall.Hundreds of people reportedly turned out to see the official unveiling of the home in Berlin last week. McCauley also adds that she hopes one day the U.S. will “grow up” and ask for its treasure back.How quickly we forget the importance of our...

During my undergraduate studies, I became deeply immersed in the history of the Civil War and Reconstruction Period along with Jim Crow laws, where the wrongs from both eras birthed the monumental Civil Rights Movement. The accounts from former slaves and their descendants captivated me to choose history as my minor. I craved more and more black narratives after enduring the cliff note's version of American history from the previous 12 years of my education. In high school, I felt robbed by the whitewashed history books placed in front of me. Finally, I had professors who were invested in sharing the untold stories and the ugly truths of American history.My parents, both Civil Rights babies as I like to call them, did their best to give me a real-life perspective through their eyes. My maternal grandmother, the daughter of a slave, shared experiences where she was reduced to a second-class citizen. In their fascinating stories, I never heard a mention of the name Claudette Colvin. Either they had forgotten her like the rest of society or didn't know her at all. I was first introduced to Colvin in a modern Civil Rights Movement class during my junior year of undergrad. Even then, my professor seemed to gloss over the name.Rosa Parks forever has a timestamp on our hearts as the black woman arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus. We're told she was tired both physically and mentally from the mistreatment brought on by the wicked laws in the South. The back of the bus was reserved for black passengers but on this day in December 1955, Rosa wouldn't budge. This one act became a domino effect to equality followed by the bus boycott and the slow death of Jim Crow laws. But surely Mrs. Parks was not the first woman or black person tired of being pushed to the back of the bus. Of course not. She was the perfect figure deployed by the NAACP. But again, she was not the first.Claudette Colvin was first in line, nine months prior. At age 15, Colvin was asked to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus to accommodate a white passenger. She refused and yelled in protest, "It's my constitutional right!". The teen was then yanked off the bus and jailed.Her story is outlined in the book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. She details the long, agonizing ride in the back of the police car where she feared for her life."All ride long they swore at me and ridiculed me. They took turns trying to guess my bra size. They called me "nigger bitch" and cracked jokes about parts of my body. I recited the Lord's Prayer and the Twenty-third Psalm over and over in my head, trying to push back the fear. I assumed they were taking me to juvenile court because I was only fifteen. I was thinking, Now I'm gonna be picking cotton, since that's how they punished juveniles—they put you in a school out in the country where they made you do field work during the day."Soon, she wound up in a jail cell at an adult facility for a few hours before her release. In the book, Colvin says she feared for her life more than ever that night as the Klan was notorious for lynchings. It was a restless night. She recalled her family staying up all night while her father held a shotgun in his hand.By October 1955, 18-year-old Mary Louise Smith refused her seat as did Aurelia Browder and Susie McDonald in earlier months. All before Parks.Her standalone bus protest wouldn't be Claudette Colvin's final act of bravery.  The following year, Colvin and the three aforementioned women became plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle. This monumental case overturned local bus segregation laws in Montgomery and the state of Alabama. Colvin's young courage sent shockwaves throughout the city, but in December, Rosa Parks' similar act became a national phenomenon. After her refusal to give up her seat, Colvin became pregnant. The NAACP and Civil Rights leaders felt as though an unwed teen mother was not fitting to become the face of their upcoming Montgomery Bus Boycott. Parks was 42 and a member of the local NAACP chapter. The rest is black history with Colvin M.I.A. from the story.For years, Claudette kept her story under wraps while being mistreated and shunned from much of the community, eventually leaving the South and settling in New York. At age 77, Colvin is alive and well. She is also more open these days to share her experiences.In a 2009 interview with NPR, Colvin was asked the question that continues to riddle historians and everyday Civil Rights champions. Why is Rosa Parks the bus boycott icon and not her?She attributed this to age and physical features to Parks' notoriety. "Her skin texture was the kind that people associate with the middle class," Colvin said. "She fit that profile."Colvin became the focus of a Drunk History sketch on Comedy Central in 2014 pointing out colorism associated with the teen.We're living in a time where black women are finally celebrated as heroes through modern storytelling. American history books continue to erase not just the Hidden Figures of NASA but the women who were once on the front lines for justice. They didn't receive similar fame as icons like Shirley Chisholm and Rosa Parks, however, their stories are just as credible and crucial to our advancement. The legacy of Claudette Colvin and women of her stature should never go unrecognized. A young girl in the 1950's recognized her own strength and risked her life for a seat that was rightfully hers. Teenagers of that time like George Stinney and Emmett Till were not as fortunate to live fulfilled lives or witness progress in the South. Claudette Colvin is a national treasure. Celebrate her now and forever.Hear Claudette's story in her own words.Get your Blavity fix by signing up for our daily...

Last Friday at the age of 87, self-made billionaire Michael "Mike" Ilitch died at a Detroit Hospital. In the days since his death it has been revealed that, in addition to his successful business ventures as founder of Little Caesars Pizza, owner of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team, and the Detroit Tigers Major baseball team, the American business magnate was also a 'good samaritan,' discreetly paying monthly rent for Civil Rights pioneer, Rosa Parks.Photo: Associated PressIn a recently resurfaced 2014 article featured in Sports Business Daily, Detroit judge, Damon Keith told the story of how Ilitch came to the aid of Parks, then 81, after she was robbed and assaulted in her Detroit city home. “It’s important that people know what Mr. Mike Ilitch did for Ms. Rosa Parks because it’s symbolic of what he has always done for the people of our city,” said Judge Keith.After reading about the 1994 assault, Ilitch reached out to Judge Keith who served as the executor of the trust established for Parks housing and offered to pay Parks’ rent for as long as necessary. He kept his word, paying her monthly rent for a decade until Parks passed away in 2005. In the photo below, Judge Damon Keith presents one of many checks that Ilitch paid for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks’ housing. Photo: Kimberly KendrickThank you for your kindness, Mr. Ilitch. Rest in peace.Never miss a headline! Sign up for Blavity's daily...

Every year during Black History Month, students learn about Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman.All of the above are American heroes. But they aren’t the only black Americans who deserve to be honored.Kevin Hart wants to give lesser-known black heroes their day in the sun with a new special set to air on the History Channel. Called Kevin Hart Presents: The Black Man’s Guide to History, the two hour special will focus on the achievements of Matthew Henson, the first black man to reach the North Pole; Henry “Box” Brown, a slave who mailed himself to freedom; Mae Jemison, the first black woman in outer space and others.Hart was inspired to create the program by his daughter. After watching 12 Years A Slave, she grew upset, feeling that black Americans had no history outside of bondage and the struggle against injustice. Wanting to show her that that wasn’t true, Hart began writing and performing skits for her that focused on figures that achieved great things.Her reaction to the narratives, which were peppered with Hart’s signature comedic style, were a big hit in the Hart household. Hart promises that as he moves his vignettes out of his living room and into ours, “people [will] laugh and learn a bit...

There is beauty in the strength and grace of the black woman. When we need her the most she puts us on her backs, standing tall against those who threaten our existence. She is a nurturer, a natural protector — a heroine who doesn't need a cape. Ieshia Evans epitomizes this black woman. The photo of her poised body looking onward onto her oppressor as her dress danced on that Baton Rouge street is more than just a moment in time. It is the state of existence of the black woman. As black women, we face a double-edged sword of oppression. We are everything that the white man is not. Our skin is bathed in melanin. We birth children and we do not hide behind the mask of privilege as we have none. We are strength in the face of power. There is no coincidence in the fact that two women, two worlds apart, Tess Asplund and Ieshia Evans, so similarly found themselves asserting their black womanhood as they stood across from the symbols of white power in their respective countries. For Tess in Sweden, it was the Neo-Nazis of the Nordish Resistance Movement, who are known for targeting anti-racists. For Ieshia in the United States, it was police officers who so often end up killing unarmed black men. The power that comes with whiteness transcends country lines, as does the strength of the black woman. This narrative, however, didn't start with Tess Asplund and end with Ieshia Evans. When I first saw the picture from Baton Rouge, I couldn't shake it. I immediately thought of Tess Asplund, as did many others and knew that these two moments were only glimpses into the state of being that is black womanhood. A probe into the matter brought me to the iconic moment that we first learned of in elementary school when studying the Civil Rights movement — the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 1st, 1955 Rosa Parks dared to sit in the front of the bus, where only whites were allowed. The infamous picture of the boycott shows Parks juxtaposed against a white man. She sat there, unbothered. Her strength prevailed through her resistance, quite similarly to the actions that Tess Asplund and Ieshia Evans would take 61 years later. The power that comes with whiteness transcends time, as does the strength of the black woman. Yet again, it does not end here. Across the United States, black women are taking to the front lines in the name of #BlackLivesMatter. Video after video surfaces of enraged young black women shouting at police officers during protests throughout the country. Here they are not still but they are not silent and their strength cannot be denied. In fact, their words echo the feelings that were catalysts for the defiance of Evans, Asplund and Parks, each woman miles apart in time and space. "There is blood on these streets sir. Why are we going to continue being peaceful when they are killing my brothers and sisters?" —Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge is not having it...wow😧 pic.twitter.com/U1KcC6tIn8 — logizzle (@iRUNx_LA) July 10, 2016 "I'm tired of these funerals. Of this blood. On these streets. On our streets." —Oakland, California "I need one answer. There's so many cops out here, but zero answers." — Rochester, New York This is needed to clarify previous video. This is what happened before the woman was arrested while we spoke w/ her pic.twitter.com/BRoOQzd4Xd — Tara Grimes (@TaraTWCNews) July 9, 2016 "We are not weak. We did not come from weak people. We did not come from weak ancestors. Our people are survivors, thrivers, warriors." —Baton Rouge, Louisiana When it hits home and the pain is too much. This came from the ❤️#AltonSterling pic.twitter.com/znCpEChkDr — Chucky Colin (@ChuckyColin) July 11, 2016 "Why is our skin color a weapon? What did I do to y'all?" — Oakland, California These are carefree black women sparkling in the kind of black girl magic that moves mountains. But, do we have any other choice? We are at an institutionalized disadvantage that can only be overcome through perseverance and the strength that comes from being suffocated at the hands of our oppressors. The double-edged sword of being both black and a woman is no longer a weapon that can be used to cut us down. We've taken it for our own and are using it to fight our way to true freedom. "Black women are made out of brown sugar, cocoa, honey and gold. And the strength of ten thousand moons." — Unknown Want more from Kadisha? Sign up for Blavity’s daily...