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It was December 1, 1955, when seamstress Rosa Parks,
now called the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,”
was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a
white man in Alabama.
It was an act of civil disobedience that occurred on a
simple street corner in downtown Montgomery, Alabama,
but now the spot commemorates that event with the Rosa
Parks Museum and Library, which sits on the very spot.
Parks courageous act changed the course of segregation
in America, and it gave birth to the Montgomery Bus Boycott that
helped shape the way segregation would later been seen and dealt
with. The Supreme Court ruled the segregation of bus service to be
unconstitutional some 381
days after Parks’ arrest. |
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Today, visitors can see this
very spot, commemorated
in a beautiful, state-of-the-art museum built in tribute to the woman and her legacy. The museum
is a major landmark in the revitalization of downtown Montgomery on the site of the old Empire
Theatre on the Troy State University campus.
When the University acdq1uired the property, it was initially considered for a much-needed
parking deck. However, when officials realized the historical significance of the spot and saw
how people stopped to read the historical marker already in place there, they had the vision to see
what could be a lasting tribute to both Parks and the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery.
The Museum immediately pulls you into the plight of the
African-Americans during Segregation. A gripping film
introduced the story, and then you enter a reconstructed
street corner and see the famous bus where it all started.
The lights lower, and visitors see the history repeating
itself through the windows of the bus that have become
movie screens, allowing you to peek inside the bus during
that historic December day.
After the story is told,
visitors enter an interpretive
museum, complete with a restored 1955 station wagon and
historical documents of the era loaned to the museum by the City of
Montgomery. See the official police report when Parks was
arrested and other police reports of others that were persecuted or
injured during the Boycott itself. Six distinct areas tell the story of
the early civil rights activities, along with Parks herself.
The museum occupies the first floor of a 55,0000-sqare-foot; threestory
building that also includes the Troy State University
Montgomery Library. It also includes space for permanent and
special exhibits, and visitors can often see traveling art exhibits
here, too. The space next door was recently purchased by the
Museum, and plans are in the works for an interactive children’s museum, according to a
Museum official. An attractive gift shop offers not only souvenirs, but also an excellent selection
of books and literature of soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement.
You can see the museum in a few hours or spend a day
here, reading and studying closely all that the museum has
to offer. Parents will find the museum a great way to bring
this bit of Alabama and National history to life in a way no
book can. |
| If You Go… |
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(On the Troy State University campus, around the corner from host hotel)
252 Montgomery St.
Montgomery, AL 36104
tty/voice: (334) 241-8661
website url: www.tsum.edu |
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