Linda Chavez On Rosa Parks

Linda Chavez, an evil conservative minority woman, writes a very nice column about Rosa Parks.

Few people in history can claim to have truly changed the world, and even fewer by one simple act. . . . Mrs. Parks' defiance was one more nail in the coffin of Jim Crow, and the United States would never be the same.

It was a long time coming.

The day that Rosa Parks went to court to be tried for violating Montgomery's bus ordinance, 40,000 black Montgomery residents refused to ride the bus, sparking a boycott that lasted more than a year. The boycott, which established the reputation of a young black minister, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., only ended when the Supreme Court handed down a decision outlawing segregation on public buses.

Rosa made MLK possible.

It took another decade before Congress acted to make racial discrimination illegal, first with the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which barred discrimination in public accommodations, employment and programs that receive federal funds. In 1965, Congress prohibited discrimination in voting . . . [a]nd in 1968, Congress outlawed discrimination in housing. But in many ways, it was Rosa Parks' courage that set these events in motion.

Thank you Democrats for that delay in passing civil rights legislation.

In the 1990s, President Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Congress bestowed its Congressional Gold Medal. She rarely sought the limelight and wore the mantle of fame reluctantly. In her later years, she even became the victim of a vicious crime by a 28-year-old black man who broke into her apartment, beat her badly and stole $53, having no idea who she was.

But for many people -- black and white -- Rosa Parks was a hero. Her quiet dignity and strength inspired others to stand up for what they knew was right. America is a better place for Rosa Parks. She will be missed by all who value freedom.

Rosa was a hero. The dignity of her personality and courage is a forgotten art in the modern "civil rights" movement. What she helped accomplish, however, will never be forgotten.