The document was a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr on the 5 th of December year 1955. During this time, African Americans in the US were required by Montgomery, Alabama city ordinance to always sit at the back half of all the city buses and offer their seats to the white people on board if the front part of the buses that was always reserved for white commuters happened to be full. On the 1 st of December 1955, an African American woman, Rosa Parks, boarded the Montgomery Cleveland Avenue bus from work and sat in the front row of the half meant for the people of color. The white seats got full and the bus driver, J. Fred Blake demanded that parks and three others vacated their seats. The rest complied while Parks defied leading to her arrest and prosecution and was eventually found guilty and fined by the court (King). The incidence aroused the emotions of the African-Americans who decided to speak out against it and pastor Martin Luther King Jr. was their choice for leading them in their course. In this document, King presents a speech addressing the issue and justifying their decision for boycott and protests as he gives the directions to the congregation with respect to how they should go about it with discipline, courtesy but at the same time with determination.
In a society that is still fighting racism, the document is extremely paramount in providing the historical background of anti-racism movements. This was a period in which the African-Americans were highly discriminated against and treated as lesser beings (Turner-Sadler, 2009). However, the bravery and courage of individuals such as Parks and Luther King Jr. initiated he journey to a revolution that would see the Negros perceived as equal human beings as their white counterparts. The step of bravery made irrespective of the potential dangers ahead was a landmark action that has important lessons to teach over five decades later. Up to date the perception of the African -American then referred to as the Negro has been discussed in often occasions. While extremely significant progress has been made in the fight against racism, the issue of whether King’s and his fellow black people’ dream of eliminating discrimination against African Americans is still highly debatable.
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A long journey starts with a single step. Rosa Parks deserves recognition and appreciation. Defying all the odds and proving that she also mattered as much as the whites did was an eye opener for her fellow black people and a challenge for the whites who were determined to continue oppressing men. If such people had not existed or if everyone had just upheld the status quo and accepted that the skin color of an individual should determine how they are treated and perceived, the same would still be happening decades later. One important lesson to draw from this document is that there is something that everyone can do to stand against the violation of their rights. Sparks was an ordinary citizen who did not have to wait for other prominent people to speak out on her behalf. As a result, any other member of the society should make that small sacrifice in their capacity to bring about a great change. Sparks made a small sacrifice of defying a white man and going to jail while the rest three complied. With any social problem or challenge that an individual identifies in their surroundings, they should take it upon themselves to make an initiative of solving it out, however small their impact may be, it largely counts.
References
King, M. L. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2017, from http://www.blackpast.org/1955-martin-luther-king-jr-montgomery-bus-boycott
Turner-Sadler, J. (2009). African American history: An introduction . New York: Peter Lang.
