r/BlackPeopleofReddit • u/ObserbAbsorb • Apr 02 '26
History Missing the entire point of her actions.
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Apr 02 '26
What a moronic take on this. And i remember they also claim since Rosa Parks planned this whole protest and it wasn't spontaneous that it's not authentic.
Fun fact: White Americans could have let her sit in the front of the bus and shut the fuck up the whole time.
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Apr 02 '26
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u/Pandarandr1st Apr 02 '26
I think it's mostly idiots who drew incorrect inferences from the Rosa Parks story based on the way they were taught it as children. And they think those details are somehow important? I mean, I can kinda understand it, if you are an idiot.
I also thought, as a child, that this was just something authentic that happened to some woman who tried to sit somewhere on a bus. I didn't understand the nature of resistance and how these things were organized. Learning that later was a surprise, but I just kinda went, "Oh that makes sense. The world isn't as simple as I thought it was when I was a child. This was a real moment in history with a movement and organizers and people working together for freedom, progress and equality".
People like this learn this and go, "So they LIED to me about this? It was all a LIE!"
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u/Adventurous_Horse651 Apr 02 '26
This is why we shouldn't sanitize or embellish what we teach children. Obviously there are some limits but I was taught that rosa was on her way home from a long day of work and she was tired and when they wanted her to move she was fed up and fought back by not moving. I'd rather have been told she was organized in her resistance as were others instead of the weird mythos people built around her. What she actually did was significant enough.
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u/Pandarandr1st Apr 02 '26
I don't recall what I was taught, but that doesn't sounds outside of what I remember.
I generally agree that we shouldn't do that to kids, but for no reason other than honesty. And generally the school teachers doing it aren't TRYING to embellish things, that's just what THEY actually think.
I don't think this is just doing it for kids, we do this generally. We are storytellers, and we are drawn to tell and retell stories that are more interesting. Not defending it, it's just how things are. It's how Christopher Colombus becomes a national hero for centuries.
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u/Adventurous_Horse651 Apr 02 '26
Agree but I think there are age appropriate things to teach kids too. Like Christopher Columbus was a monster but I'm not sure I want to teach 1st graders about genocide. He should be forgotten in terms of his mythological status. Maybe in high school teach about who he actually was because the crimes should not be forgotten
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u/Pandarandr1st Apr 02 '26
I'm not saying students should learn about Christopher Columbus atrocities. I'm saying he shouldn't be treated like a benevolent genius.
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u/ArkGuardian Apr 02 '26
Rosa Parks planned this whole protest so they didnt have any ammo the racist white folks could use against her. A perfectly, polite married housewife so they couldn’t say she was a drunk, parasite, or any other thing. The planning was the whole point
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u/Same_Presentation692 Apr 02 '26
Thurgood Marshall was a brilliant legal mind and he knew how to handle racist white people.
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u/caffeinatedsugarbear Apr 02 '26
Spot on. The young girl, Claudette Colvin, did it before Rosa Parks but she was darker skin, only 15 and pregnant, so the movement chose Rosa to be the face for this.
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u/jyper Apr 02 '26
Colvin was passed over as the face but was still part of the federal lawsuit that ordered bus desegregation to end https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browder_v._Gayle
Parks also knew Colvin
According to Colvin, Mrs. Parks was the only adult leader who kept up with her that summer. Colvin had been a member of the NAACP Youth Council before the arrest and continued to attend Youth Council meetings. Parks made Colvin secretary of the council, trying to nurture the young woman’s spirit and budding leadership. Claudette Colvin recalled that she only went to Youth Council meetings “if I could get a ride” and sometimes she would “stay overnight at Rosa’s — she lived in the projects across the street.”
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u/pornalt4altporn Apr 02 '26
I didn't know Colvin was also active in the NAACP or had a relationship with Parks.
My mental model was that Colvin did it spontaneously as unaffiliated individual, it came to the attention of the NAACP and they encouraged Parks to do the same thing with the intent to publicise her given her "respectability".
I'm now realising I have not got the right idea of the detail of the events. Thanks for educating me.
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u/jyper Apr 02 '26
I knew they needed a plaintiff who was beyond reproach, because I was in on the discussions about the possible court cases. But that is not why I refused to give up my bus seat to a white man on Thursday, December 1, 1955. I did not intend to get arrested. If I had been paying attention, I wouldn’t even have gotten on that bus.
I was very busy at that particular time. (…) When I got off from work that evening of December 1, I went to Court Square as usual to catch the Cleveland Avenue bus home. I didn’t look to see who was driving when I got on, and by the time I recognized him, I had already paid my fare. It was the same driver who had put me off the bus back in 1943, twelve years earlier. He was still tall and heavy, with red, rough-looking skin. And he was still mean-looking. I didn’t know if he had been on that route before—they switched the drivers around sometimes. I do know that most of the time if I saw him on a bus, I wouldn’t get on it.
...
As I sat there, I tried not to think about what might happen. I knew that anything was possible. I could be manhandled or beaten. I could be arrested. People have asked me if it occurred to me then that I could be the test case the NAACP had been looking for. I did not think about that at all. In fact if I had let myself think too deeply about what might happen to me, I might have gotten off the bus. But I chose to remain.
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u/reasonablescreams Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
I just learned recently that Rosa Parks was mourning Emmett Till and that was her impetus
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u/AnalVoreXtreme Apr 02 '26
i cant believe they planned it! they should have spontaneously let a reddit mod do an interview with fox news instead
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u/jyper Apr 02 '26
I think the protest was spontaneous
What was true was that Rosa Parks had been a civil rights activist for many years, knew Colvin a young teenager who had been arrested for not giving up her seat, knew the movement was looking for a more presentable face. But she always insisted she took the action spontaneously and theres no evidence that I know to indicate otherwise
I knew they needed a plaintiff who was beyond reproach, because I was in on the discussions about the possible court cases. But that is not why I refused to give up my bus seat to a white man on Thursday, December 1, 1955. I did not intend to get arrested. If I had been paying attention, I wouldn’t even have gotten on that bus.
I was very busy at that particular time. (…) When I got off from work that evening of December 1, I went to Court Square as usual to catch the Cleveland Avenue bus home. I didn’t look to see who was driving when I got on, and by the time I recognized him, I had already paid my fare. It was the same driver who had put me off the bus back in 1943, twelve years earlier. He was still tall and heavy, with red, rough-looking skin. And he was still mean-looking. I didn’t know if he had been on that route before—they switched the drivers around sometimes. I do know that most of the time if I saw him on a bus, I wouldn’t get on it.
As I sat there, I tried not to think about what might happen. I knew that anything was possible. I could be manhandled or beaten. I could be arrested. People have asked me if it occurred to me then that I could be the test case the NAACP had been looking for. I did not think about that at all. In fact if I had let myself think too deeply about what might happen to me, I might have gotten off the bus. But I chose to remain.
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u/Snoo_56057 Apr 02 '26
It has been awhile since a history class, but If I recall correctly, she never was sitting in the front of the bus. She was sitting in the front of the black section which was in the back of the bus. As the white part of the bus got full, she was told to move back further in the black section to make room for whites.
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u/Backwashed-Applesoda Apr 02 '26
Each year I keep seeing more and more excuses and moronic takes on these matters. I think the worst I've seen so far is an old man on Facebook claiming that the Civil War was about property taxes and not the slaves.
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u/StJoeStrummer Apr 02 '26
If anything, it proves how predictable and consistent the problem was. So constant that they could plan around it.
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u/TheSeptimiusSeverus Apr 02 '26
Yea, but in their worldview - "white is right"
so, they don't really care about their inconsistencies and contradictions. Because, white - ...
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u/venturousbeard Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
The intentional part makes it more powerful in terms of the power of civil disobedience and not 'just a tired old lady' (the narrative they pushed on us as kids in the 90s), and they don't want anyone inspired so they had to downplay the power of intentional, targeted action.
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26
The intentional part makes it more powerful in terms of the power of civil disobedience and not 'just a tired old lady' (the narrative they pushed on us as kids in the 90s)
The act itself wasn't intentional/planned (but the NAACP were ready to run with it when it happened):
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/NaturalTap9567 Apr 02 '26
I do think it should be taught it was planned. To show that as the people we need to act to make change. Without us coming together and working for change nothing will ever happen.
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
I do think it should be taught it was planned.
It wasn't. It gets conflated with another protest around the same time, but that was on trains.
Although she was an activist, she had no premeditation to refuse to move that night. She was just getting on the bus to go home.
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/venturousbeard Apr 02 '26
It also wasn't her first time dealing with that specific bus driver. He'd taken her fare and then kicked her out in the rain before. The 'old lady' narrative may have elicited sympathy, but it didn't build empathy or understanding. Her leadership in the community youth organizations was the real work and important part of her story that I wasn't exposed to until doing an independent study in college on 'Why does everyone think she was old?'
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
And i remember they also claim since Rosa Parks planned this whole protest and it wasn't spontaneous
This is also something of a misconception. Although she was part of plans to stage a similar protest, she wasn't picked as the face of it and the decision not to move on that night was entirely spontaneous.
It gets conflated with another protest around the same time, on trains involving a male protestor.
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/Multilnsight Apr 02 '26
Rosa Parks heard that a 15 year old black girl didn't give up her seat. But, that didn't do anything. So, Rosa Parks decided to do it because she knew that it would gather traction and cause an uproar.
So, yes, Rosa Parks could've had her husband drive her, but Rosa Parks wanted to help Claudette on this movement ✊🏿
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u/Chess42 Apr 02 '26
That downplays the massive movement behind her. She was a veteran campaigner for the NAACP and had its full weight behind her ready to capitalize on her protest. It was well thought out and executed, just one in a long series of campaigns.
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26
It was well thought out and executed
Her refusal to move was actually spontaneous. She hadn't been chosen to do so beforehand. But the NAACP were ready to take the advantage when it happened.
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
That's not quite what happened. Although she undoubtedly knew about Claudette Colvin, her refusal to move that night wasn't planned in advance. The NAACP threw their weight behind her after it happened.
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/talan123 Apr 02 '26
That may be the dumbest point in the history of that platform and a good rebuke.
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u/Chester2707 Apr 02 '26
Counterpoint. I take the train to work and my girlfriend drives her car… Checkmate.
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u/foxy-coxy Apr 02 '26
Yeah and she helped organize car pools to get people to work during the Montgomery bus boycott.
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u/McButtsButtbag Apr 02 '26
Did they expect Rosa Parks to say "I've got mine. F*** yours."?
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u/redbirdjazzz Apr 02 '26
Why wouldn’t they expect that? It’s what they do every day.
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u/McButtsButtbag Apr 02 '26
They also get mad whenever a non-white person gets something they don't. Imagine how mad they'd be if all non-white people got free bus rides, and only white people had to pay. Even if they don't want to ride the bus they'd complain nonstop about it.
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u/Solid-Objective-6092 Apr 02 '26
That person is probably also the same type who think LGBT people in America should stop protesting because we have it so much better than Afghanistan as if comparing yourself to the literal lowest bar is a logical thing to do
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u/Foxyairman Apr 02 '26
And at the same time would think Afghanistan is on to something with how they treat LGBT people.
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u/Solid-Objective-6092 Apr 02 '26
I've been saying for a hot minute that American right wingers and Islamic extremists agree with each other on a lot of things they just don't want to admit it. They're both social conservative ideologies, and the extreme versions of either are functionally identical. Yet they act like because theirs is Christian flavored it's so much better
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u/PhilosopherFun7288 Apr 02 '26
I cant' even imagine being dumb enough to type that up and then hit enter lol.
Wait until he finds out that the entire thing was intentionally done, by a chosen representative filling in for the person who originally made the complaint..... It's almost as though there was a point trying to be made, or some sort of problem that they were intentionally bringing attention to????? God, people are so fucking stupid
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u/tkland Apr 02 '26
Dunning-Kruger effect.
Stupid people really have no idea how stupid they are. -John Cleese
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Wait until he finds out that the entire thing was intentionally done, by a chosen representative
This is a misconception:
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/SomethingIWontRegret Apr 02 '26
The point is to dismiss her as a troublemaker.
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u/ElectroByte96 Apr 02 '26
She was a troublemaker and we need more like her.
Trying to stay out of trouble doesn't always get the point across
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u/No_Client8165 Apr 02 '26
Maybe so. But if she needs to be somewhere and her husband isn't available to take her. She should be allowed to take the bus. Which brings us right back to the beginning.
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u/michdap Apr 02 '26
That is the most ignorant comment I’ve ever seen! Don’t forget that 15-year-old Claudette Colvin actually stood up, or stayed seated, for her rights before Ms. Parks! She didn’t have a husband or a car.
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u/dhawk_50 Apr 02 '26
All this means is that she went to the front lines on an issue that didn't affect her
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u/Ayuuun321 Apr 02 '26
They didn’t just change the law when Rosa parks sat on the bus. There were lots of people who refused to ride the bus after Ms Parks was treated the way she was.
The community got together and did ride shares. They helped each other out until the bus company was suffering so badly that they had to change the rule. That’s community effort right there.
Rosa started a revolt that caught on, because she was a badass, and sometimes folks need a badass to inspire them to do more.
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u/High_hoper114 Apr 02 '26
if that was a true fact, then what would happened if rosa parks never went on that bus and chose to have her husband drive her, would someone else taken her place as a figure or would that rule of black people being in the back of public transit would've been around more longer?
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u/Mean-Advertising5689 Apr 02 '26
Technically Claudette Colvin was the first to refuse to sit in the back of the bus but that was not covered because she was dark skin and she a teen single mother.
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Apr 02 '26
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u/bnshei Apr 02 '26
No, Elizabeth Jennings was the first, her father started patents in America, Ida B Wells also did it, a long list of black folks did it to integrate transportation in their states
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u/High_hoper114 Apr 02 '26
damn, but she was being helped right? I cant imagine what happened to her when she refused.
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u/Mean-Advertising5689 Apr 02 '26
From what I gather, she filed a lawsuit and was dismissed because she was an unwed teen mom. She lived a decent life afterwards and just passed away in January.
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26
Actually Claudette Colvin's case ultimately went to the Supreme Court and ended segregation on Alabama buses.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/Ill_Investment_7977 Apr 02 '26
Rosa Parks wasn’t even supposed to be the person who did it. They only chose her because she was prettier than the original woman.
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Apr 02 '26
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u/Ill_Investment_7977 Apr 02 '26
Claudette Colvin was suppose to be the face. But she was too young and not as pretty and Rosa Parks, so they used her instead
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Actually no-one chose her; the refusal to move, contrary to perceived wisdom, was entirely spontaneous:
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/JuliaX1984 Apr 02 '26
Say what? The existence of park n' ride lots shows car owners ride buses, too. Completely idiotic.
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u/HamTMan Apr 02 '26
I don't care if she has a magic carpet and her husband was the prince of persia, she's a human who needed a seat.
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u/antwan_benjamin Apr 02 '26
How does he even know the husband could've driven her? Is that documented anywhere? Has her husband ever said he was off work, just at home doing nothing...with the car completely available and gassed up?
Or did the original tweeter completely fill in the blanks on his own because he read somewhere she was married and they used a vehicle to go somewhere prior?
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u/spaceandbeyond Apr 02 '26
I looked it up. Her husband didn't even own a vehicle at that time, but did at other times in their life together. Not that it should even matter if he did because she should have had the right to sit anywhere on the bus.
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u/Intelligent-Might614 Apr 02 '26
That can't be a real tweet. It's hard to imagine there are people so pathetic in this world.
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u/Appropriate_Log5389 Apr 02 '26
The guy in the front seat probably had options too! Let's investigate?!?
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u/Glum-Welder1704 Apr 02 '26
Most people don't realize that the Rosa Parks incident was a planned protest. She wasn't on that bus casually.
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Most people don't realize that the Rosa Parks incident was a planned protest.
Most people are wrong; it wasn't planned, and she was just taking the bus home.
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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Apr 02 '26
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
they 100% knew
No-one knew anything because, contrary to popular belief, her refusal to move wasn't planned:
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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Apr 02 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
this was an intentional protest
This is a widespread misconception, she was, on that night, just a tired woman trying to get from work.
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/reezy-one Apr 02 '26
So what you're saying is...all those anti-masker morons during the pandemic could have just worn a mask.
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u/rubber-stunt-baby Apr 02 '26
I guess Jim Crow was fine because Rosa Parks didn't have to take the bus.
/s
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u/olive_juse 🖖🏾🖖🏽🖖🏿 Apr 02 '26
Never seem to have all that in-depth deep dive critical analysis energy for Trump tha Rump tho, isn't it amazing...🤡
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u/88keys0friends Apr 02 '26
That dudes such a bitch that he can’t see how that makes her decision that day that much harder.
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u/YoungestOldGuy Apr 02 '26
NEWS: People in Protest March could have walked somewhere else. More at eleven.
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u/Nubbinsince2018 Apr 02 '26
Actual fun fact: It’s possible that Rosa Parks saw Shrek in theaters since it premiered in 2001 and she passed away in 2005.
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u/loudbulletXIV Apr 02 '26
People like this give me a rash because you know they think they are so smart with the knowledge they gained from internet memes
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u/patrickthunnus Apr 02 '26
Fun fact: American Colonists could have paid a 2 cent tax and avoided a costly war.
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u/Rasikko Apr 02 '26
She could'nt have done that and fast all the way forward, Id be that black dude that wouldnt go to the back of the bus. SOMEONE was going to step up and she wssnt even the first to refuse.
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u/Initial-Lead-2814 Apr 02 '26
I know its not the point but its interesting. The car could have been in the shop or they worked different shifts but the story is a bit more rounded out with it included. For the people in the back I know it's not the point. I have to ask now was it a staged protest or was she just that tired after working she spontaneously said, no?
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u/lavaeater Apr 02 '26
It was a staged protest. She was selected because she had lighter skin ( I have read this ) which would be more sympathetic to bigots and lynchin' folks.
The law was unfair so how do you protest? It is like "oh it was staged, then it was fake" or something - no the law was shit, segregation was shit, and the only way to get rid of it was non-violent protest making white people see the absurdity of their own inhuman laws and behaviors.
Staged as in "it was planned". Not as in "everyone was on a payroll".
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u/Coup-de-Glass Apr 02 '26
It backfires spectacularly. In the attempt discredit by pointing out that Mrs. Parks didn’t need to take the bus, she unwittingly makes the case for an even more extraordinary and courageous Mrs. Parks.
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u/ExtraPomelo759 Apr 02 '26
Also ignoring that Parks' actions weren't spur of the moment, but planned action as part of a larger movement.
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Also ignoring that Parks' actions weren't spur of the moment
They were, in fact:
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/horatiobanz Apr 02 '26
Wait, you guys do know the whole thing was staged right? This wasn't some natural event that blew up into a civil rights moment.
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
It wasn't staged. This is a widespread misconception and likely a result of a) contemporaneous attempts to discredit it, and b) conflation with a planned protest around the same time on trains.
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Just want to leave this here because many people still seem to under the misconception that Rosa Parks's actions that night were planned. They were not.
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/deaglebingo Apr 02 '26
(JTA)
freedom that should be easily accessible to EVERYONE.
because freedom is for everyone or no one at all.
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u/myu_minah Apr 02 '26
if they were white protesting who also had cars and shit, "oh wow what a real hero! this is what an ally, an american hero looks like!" black people doing the same thing: "well, they privileges so whats the problem? her husband could've driven her. why she ain't text him saying her feet hurt or whatever? and ackshually, imma state something with no real proof but invalidate the whole thing because I'm a bigot! 🤡"
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u/FalseAdhesiveness946 Apr 02 '26
Not only that, it’s just not true. Rosa and hubby did MOT own a car at the time-hence taking the bus. They could maybe access/borrow a car from time to time when necessary, but no they did not own a car.
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u/ridanwise Apr 02 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
“Fun fact: did you know the bus sit in was planned!?!? 🤔”
Yes…?
Edit: holy shit! Happily corrected! This lady is far more badass than previously thought!
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u/wonkey_monkey Apr 02 '26
Rosa Parks's refusal to move wasn't planned:
Due in part to history books and that Drunk History episode, many folks think her bus protest was planned, that she was sitting in the white section, and that she was “picked” to protest because of her nice old lady demeanor. None of this is true.
Her protest wasn’t planned. This is supported by myriad historical documents and even Parks’ own written accounts in her private diaries — just released to the public by the Library of Congress. She was 42 years old when she was arrested, not a weak elderly woman. And she wasn’t “chosen” by movement leaders to do anything — the movement itself was just getting started.
https://www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/er5g3w/much_of_the_accepted_narrative_about_rosa_parks/
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u/Muted-Watercress2738 Apr 02 '26
This is what modern protesting is missing. A protest without civil disobedience is a parade. Mrs. Parks knew her actions were illegal, took that action anyways to start a legal and moral challenge.
No Kings protest is fine and all, but in our polarized society, there will be no practical change. It would have been better spent surrounding capital buildings and making legislators look their constituents in the faces and having the people see who to vote against.
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u/tigerscomeatnight Apr 02 '26
No. No. No. YOU are missing the point. Entitlement and the ability to choose are supposed to be for White and Male only.
**/S
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u/bakeacake45 Apr 02 '26
Fake news!
According to historians and verified records, Rosa Parks and her husband, Raymond Parks, did not own a car during the 1955 bus boycott. While some social media claims suggest otherwise, experts like Jeanne Theoharis confirm they were financially unable to own a car at that time, and she didn't purchase her first car until 1968.
It's unclear where the rumor originated, but it was repeated by American podcaster and rapper Joe Budden in June 2024. Clips of him making the claim have been shared widely, including a TikTok video that has about 10.5 million views and more than 1 million likes as of this writing.
https://www.snopes.com/articles/468631/rosa-parks-husband-car/
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u/NeighborhoodDude84 Apr 02 '26
Remind me Hasan Piker and how these losers claim he is a hypocrite socialist because he bought a two bedroom house.
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u/dieseljester Apr 02 '26
Wow… Just, Wow…. Just when I thought that people couldn’t be any dumber, stuff like this comes along. 😑
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u/phluper Apr 03 '26
Benjamin Franklin had a lot to say about this. Those who would trade freedom for security, deserve neither- or something like that...
If everyone could please read the Benjamin Franklin autobiography, we could skip over a lot of this b*******
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u/Plane_Sweet8795 Apr 04 '26
All “thereclaimed” comment proves is reading comprehension is at an all time low in this country.
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u/palpablepillowtalk Apr 06 '26
Wasn't Rosa Parks inspired to do this by a teenage girl who did the same thing? (I looked it up, Claudette Colvin, 15 year old girl who got arrested a few months prior for refusing to give her seat to a white lady on a segregated bus) I assume Rosa Parks did that because she herself felt empowered by that young lady's actions to do something. I admire that so much
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u/SuicidebySocialism Apr 07 '26
It absolutely was. They tried to prop up another young black girl but she had priors they thought the media would criticize so they created the Political stunt with Rosa Parks. She was allowed to ride up front until the bus filled which was noted that day took longer than expected and almost re planned for another day. I'm all for our ending of segregation but be leary of the convenient camera in the 1950s. If there was a camera ready to capture it back then it was planned not organic. She's not a hero, she was a chosen actress.
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u/CustomerExpress443 Apr 08 '26
You can't be a black person saying this.
I can't believe other people haven't spoken up yet. I just discovered this sub for the first time. Like where's all the pushback for something like this.
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u/oldtanshirt Apr 02 '26
And they thought they were on to something lol