December 1, 2005, marks the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' act of defiance on a Montgomery, Alabama bus that changed the course of history. Four days later,
in response to Ms. Parks' arrest, a year-long bus boycott began and propelled
Parks to prominence as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement."
To pay tribute to Rosa Parks and the anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott, public transportation agencies across the nation will participate in a “National Transit Tribute to Rosa Parks Day” on December 1, 2005.
To commemorate this historical day, APTA requests all transit agencies reserve a front seat on your bus(es) in honor of Ms. Parks. You can use a decal or a poster to reserve the front seat. Ready-to-use artwork is provided in the Resource section below.
In addition, APTA provides the following other suggested activities to assist members in planning anniversary events.
Other Suggested Activities
Place car cards on buses honoring the day. Artwork is provided in the Resource
section below.
Use the decal artwork provided in the Resources section below to dedicate a seat to Rosa Parks.
Issue a proclamation declaring December 1, 2005, as "A National Transit Tribute to Rosa Parks Day." Sample proclamations can be found here and here.
Have all buses in your fleet turn on their headlights for the day.
Dedicate a plaque in a prominent location in honor of Rosa Parks.
Use bus destination header signs to display a special message (i.e. Thanks
Rosa)
Record an announcement paying tribute to the day and have played on vehicles
throughout the day.
Use a portion of your web site's front page to honor the day.
Name a bus stop in honor of Rosa Parks.
Plant a tree in Rosa Parks' honor.
Provide drivers with black armbands to wear to commemorate the day.
Develop a special pin to honor the day and ask drivers to wear them.
Sponsor an essay contest about the civil rights movement with local schools.
Resources
Poster Artwork
This artwork can be downloaded and customized with your logo. APTA recommends
placing the poster on the front seat of your bus(es) on December 1 as tribute
to Rosa Parks.
Click here to download
Car Card Artwork
This artwork can be downloaded and customized with your logo.
Click here to download
Seat Decal Artwork
This artwork can be downloaded and printed as decals to permanently dedicate
a seat(s) to Rosa Parks.
Click here to download
