Selects: Rosa Parks: Agent of Change | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

hi everybody Chuck here I hope you're. all having some cereal or toaster. pastries or maybe a bagel maybe an egg. sandwich maybe some uh overnight. oats uh maybe some some bacon maybe some. back bacon maybe it depends on where you. are in the world what kind of bacon. you're eating cuz we all call it bacon. and it means a different thing wherever. you are at any rate I hope you're. enjoying some breakfast and you should. listen to this episode while you eat. breakfast from Fe February 22nd 2018.

Rosa Parks colon Agent of Change what a. great woman in American. history welcome to stuff you should know. a production of iHeart. [Music]. Radio hey and welcome to the podcast I'm. Josh Clark there's Charles W Chuck. Bryant there's Jerry over there so it's. stuff you should know.

the podcast clean studio version I know. it feels a little weird in here like uh. like it's too good for us or something. you know what I mean yeah uh just so you. folks know uh Jerry tested a couple of. the uh editor Engineers here with coming. in and cleaning up the pile of spaghetti. that used to flow from the back of her. workstation nice not that it was Jerry's. fault and she said clean up my mess well. she clapped twice in Rapid secession.

what that means right the whole offit I. mean snap to it looks good though it. does but now we actually have room to. put stuff so we should put some stuff in. here I agree it's a little bear a papaz. on right there that'd be. nice I don't know well we could put a. small papaz on most people don't realize. but this place is lousy with IKEA lamps. I mean everywhere and like the cheapest. ones like there one of them's on fire. right now yeah that one oh yeah. smoldering smoldering still fire Chuck.

speaking of fire yes you want to know. somebody who had some fire in. her more than most people realize yeah. Rosa Parks yeah who is now one of my. all-time Heroes because before the Rosa. Parks I knew again it was like the haret. hubman episode right learned about her. in school um she's a great American. respect her rever her here's why she. didn't give up her seat on the bus no. yeah.

like not only is that like just the tip. of the. iceberg it wasn't until about the. last five or so years I think no about. last four years that like a full picture. of this woman and who she was and like. what she stood for and what drove her. emerged not just to the public in. general but to to historians even. because her personal papers were. basically held up in auction for years. and years and years and now now that. they've been donated for 10 like 10.

years to the Library of Congress we're. starting to get a clear picture of her. and she was even more worth revering. than than people knew before yeah I mean. I think the uh what the story isn't uh. is Rosa Parks was just a quiet lady who. was super tired on the bus one day so. she didn't want to get up her dogs were. yapping yeah not true and she even makes. a point uh in her personal paper saying. uh I was 42 years old uh I was no more.

tired than I was after any day at work. right but I what I was tired of was. being told to get up by a white bus. driver to make room for a white. passenger right I was not my dogs. weren't barking right so she um she I. think one of the reasons why she was. kind of whittel down into this this. woman who was just tired and wasn't. going to give up her seat cuz she. shouldn't have had to in the first place. and then she was a very Meek quiet. person also was another way that she was.

drawn yeah um I think one of the reasons. why she was whittel into that package. was because she became an icon for the. Civil Rights Movement yeah and one of. the things that the Civil Rights. Movement had to do for better or worse. was to get uh The Establishment both. white and black on the side of the Civil. Rights Movement which was a movement of. agitation um and if you agitated at the. time this is the Jim Crow era yeah that. me trouble.

this wasn't like just trouble like. people are going to yell at you on. Twitter this was trouble like the the. cops might arrest you for some madeup. infraction and then beat and rape you on. the way to the jail and then you would. end up in the prison system kind of. trouble like this is the kind of trouble. that a woman who refused to give up her. seat on the bus faced at this time um so. the idea of taking a woman who was I. guess palatable to as many people as. possible right and and saying look at.

this woman we need to protect this. woman's rights and do what's right um I. think that's why she got kind of whittel. down into that but if you looking back. now historically she there was so much. more to her than just that and she was. certainly not Meek and Mild yeah I mean. distilling the story down for school. books is uh is one thing but like I'm. glad now that people can get a more. robust picture yeah um so a lot of this. comes from a website called uh great. black Heroes.

had a really good lengthy article uh and. then also I want to shout out a book. series called Little People Big. Dreams and it's a kids book series that. we've been reading to my daughter in. fact it's kind of all she wants to read. right now and they are on uh great women. in history and kind of brutally honest. for to be reading to kids but they. didn't it's kind of cool they weren't. they didn't whitewash anything it's sort. of like uh.

Maya Angelo was not treated well by. white people like you read that to your. kid and Rosa Parks is one and then. there's uh Freeda Koo Coco Chanel Amelia. aart Mary cury Agatha Christie and more. but um but it's pretty brutal like they. draw Amelia aart Skeleton on the beach. kind of brutal you know what that's the. only one we haven't gotten to yet. because every night it's readed Freda. read Freda really but it's literally. like Freda Koo is lying in the street. after she gets hit by a taxi and she's.

bloody and her legs don't work again. after that so I mean it's pretty brutal. stuff but I don't know it's kind of cool. like kids can read the stuff and digest. it I think sure it's a good way to begin. them on the path toward true stories and. to sharpen them to like a Razor's Edge. at a young age you know look out for. taxis yeah that's good it's good advice. at any age all right so Rosa Parks uh. let's go back to where she was born in. Tuskegee Alabama on February 4th 1913 M.

uh to well she was born Rosa Louise mcau. to James and Lenora mcau who were a. carpenter and school teacher. respectively right uh her parents. split I guess she I don't know how old. she was I guess she was younger than six. but her father went to go look for work. up north and her mom wanted to stay in. the South so uh she and her mom and her. brother moved in with uh her mother's. parents her grandparents and her. grandfather played a really.

distinct role in shaping her CU she. moved in with them when she was like I. said around six yeah and at the time in. this place Pine Level which is outside. of Montgomery Alabama uh there was a lot. of Clan violence a lot of violence. against blacks at the hands of the Klux. Clan yeah and um her grandfather was not. having it he was actually he was the son. of a slave woman and a slave owner so he. was um I believe half white.

uh he was he was a slave himself he had. an owner um at a young age who really. brutally mistreated him tried to starve. him for a little bit and her grandfather. developed um what she called an a very. intense passionate hatred for white. people and definitely imparted that to. his daughters and his granddaughter. grandchildren wouldn't let his. grandchildren play with white kids. didn't let his daughters work for white. families he was very much um and it. sounds like pretty well founded against.

white people and definitely some of that. rubbed off on Rosa at the very least her. eyes were opened to just how unjust the. system was at the time when she was. growing up well yeah and just it wasn't. even just through his eyes like she went. to a segregated school that she had to. walk to right white students were picked. up and busted to the school um she went. to uh an elementary school called the. Montgomery industrial School for Girls a. very cool school it was created um by.

some uh Northern white Northerners uh to. basically um try and Foster education in. these more rural black communities in. the South and that didn't go over well. educating kids so that school was burned. down twice MH and uh then couple that. with all the you know influence from her. grandfather and it's no surpris that. Rosa Parks from a very very early age. was uh was an activist y so and being an. activist we're talking like from age six.

onward right. so she dropped out at school which would. have been a huge Turning Point um she. had to take care of her grandmother and. then I think her mom later on because. they both fell ill and she met I think. at. age 17 or 18 and then later on at age 19. married her husband Raymond Parks and he. uh encouraged her to go back and finish. school and she did it was a huge move. because she was very much meant to be an.

educated person yeah so um the fact that. she she met Raymond was a huge influence. in that respect he was also a big. influence on her because she said that. he was the first activist like real. activist that she ever met and I believe. this was even before the NAACP was in. town this guy was like a Grassroots. activist uh and he and his group were. basically armed do you remember in the. Black Panthers episode where like the. whole idea of arming came out of the.

South um this guy was like Raymond Parks. was one of the the real deal people who. originated that um and he and the group. of activists that he um he met with uh. would they would all come to the house. and everyone would have a gun uh and. apparently Rosa Park said sometimes. there were so many guns on the table. that she didn't have any place to set. the refreshments during these meetings. yeah but these meetings weren't like you. know how are we going to get white. people back it was how are we going to.

protect like the scotsboro boys from. false R rape accusations um he was a he. was an early pre NAACP activist in. Montgomery yeah and later on was a. member of the. NAACP uh we should do a show on the. scotsburg boys at some point yeah uh. it's too much to get into here but the. short version is um a a group of black. men on a train were accused of rape uh. by two white women who um just made up. this story basically yeah and went to.

trial a few times and. um well you know what we we'll save the. outcome okay because there are all kinds. of outcomes because I went to trial so. many times um so she did finish high. school and she became involved along. with her husband in the Montgomery. chapter of the NAACP and worked as their. uh secretary for 14 years so Not only. was she an activist but she was um. involved in in service of these. organizations. like she worked for them like whatever.

you need done I will do and anyone who's. ever volunteered like knows that um I. guess foot soldiers for lack of a better. term are some of the most important. people to like in the Black Panthers. episode when you know the the women. didn't get nearly the recognition they. they should have gotten right for just. keeping that organization running on. time so but she was more than a. volunteer though she had some. really some jobs with some real gravity. like she was a an investigator of um.

sexual assault of black women by white. men um which is a very dangerous thing. to do because you're going to. like interview witnesses to crimes that. aren't being prosecuted because they are. perpetrated by white people um she uh. was a Justice for prisoner Advocate she. did a lot of like really important stuff. and as she was doing this stuff as the. secretary for the local n NAACP she was. also making contacts that would later.

become really important in this nent. civil rights movement that largely grew. out of the Montgomery Bus Boycott we're. going to talk about I had no idea how. big of an event it was I knew it was big. but I didn't realize like how far. reaching the effects of it were oh yeah. uh and this another kind of important. thing happened to her as far as. integration goes is she got a uh job. type job at Maxwell Air Force Base uh. for for a little while which uh because.

it was a Federal Institution was. integrated and this was the first time. that she had um first time she had. worked in a or basically been in a. professional integrated atmosphere right. uh and that along with the uh Highlander. Folk School which is maybe we should do. a show on that too uh in 1955 she went. to a meeting a workshop at the. Highlander Folk School and this is in. the hills of Tennessee uh and it is. still open today as the Highlander. research and education Center uh not in.

that original building but um it was. just this great Folk School where they. prepared kids for uh activism um workers. uh tried to get people involved in civil. rights and she actually got sponsored by. the white couple that she worked for uh. to um go to these meetings at at mon. Eagle Tennessee so and that Maxwell Air. Force Base you mentioned one of the. things she later said I think they found. in her papers was a description of like. because it was an integrated base the. bus service on base was integrated as.

well yeah so she would be riding next to. like a a white friend on the bus on base. and then once they would get off of the. bus on base and get onto a city bus they. would have to stop their conversation. and get into the different sections the. white section and the colored section. and that was just the reality of it um. and one thing that has really come. through from her papers is that she made. a conscious. decision. to to never normalize that to not be.

like well that's just how it is that's. just life that she would never let. herself do that instead it was this is. this is messed up this has to be changed. um she was able to get through her day. with this knowledge but she was never. like this is normal or this is okay yeah. I mean she said it required I think the. quote was a lot of mental gymnastics. just to survive day-to-day as a black. person in America right uh so in other. words yeah not accept it. and do everything I can to wrap my head.

around what I can do moving forward. right uh should we take a break yeah man. I think so all right we'll take a break. and we'll come back and we will um start. on December 1st 1955 very important day. [Music].

all right so it's December 1st. 1955 uh Rosa Parks is working as a. seamstress at the time in a department. store she gets off work like she does. every day in boards bus uh 2857. Cleveland Avenue bus at about. 6:00 uh and here's the deal with the. buses at the time is uh there were a. certain amount of rows set aside for. white people and then there was a sign. that said you know black people or they.

probably said colored people back then. can sit from here back but that sign. could move so as more white people get. on the bus the bus driver gets up and. moves that sign back and says all right. black folks you got to get up get out of. your seats because now the white section. is here and just keep doing that until. sensibly the entire bus could be full of. white people and they just say sorry. I'll have to get off right yeah you. either had to get up and move your seat. if there were not seats left you had to. stand there was no standing room you had.

to get off the bus right um and then if. the bus you were getting on if you were. African-American if the white section. was already full you had to get into the. front of the bus pay get off of the bus. and get onto that back door you couldn't. even walk through the white section. right and then you you know you could. take your seat in the colored section so. um there was a lot going on here at. least half of this law was Unwritten. custom. right right the local ordinance in.

Montgomery Alabama said that buses had. to be segregated there was a white. section and there was a colored section. they put it right all that stuff about. moving the sign about getting up and. like having to leave the bus if there. wasn't any standing room for you if more. white people came on all of that was. just customary that was not law that was. not the local ordinance but it was so. practiced on a daily basis that it might. as well have been the law for sure um. and that's really all that matters is if.

the everyone was playing ball that's. what was going to happen yeah because. like the the courts would even prosecute. as if you had broken the law right if. you had not actually broken the law but. had broken this custom so yeah for all. intents and purposes it was the law so. uh the driver of that bus was uh one. James Blake and Rosa had uh well she had. a long memory and a previous incident. with Mr Blake 12 years previous uh in. 1943 she had paid her. and like you were talking about with um.

the fact that they couldn't even walk. through the white section he said you. got to get off the bus go around to the. back uh forced her well she had already. gotten on and said no you got to. re-enter on the rear she got out and he. was like psych closed the door and drove. off with her bus fair right yeah she had. already paid yeah that was the 1943. incident right and she remembered 12. years later sure who James Blake was I. would probably not forget that bus. driver so on on this day she got on and. um she took her seat in the colored.

section and when she sat down again she. was behind the. sign and I guess after a couple of stops. and think about this man imagine riding. the bus and say you have like seven. stops think about that pit that would be. in your stomach on a daily basis like am. I going to have to get up am I going to. have to be humiliated I'm I going to. have to give up my seat to a white. person because even if somebody who was. told that they had to get up because a.

white person needed to sit there even if. they just kind of quietly complied that. that doesn't that doesn't get the point. across how they were feeling right then. anybody would be humiliated by that and. I read that one of the reasons why buses. not just in Montgomery but throughout. the segregated South they were kind of. flash points because they were people. were in such Close Quarters it was the. racism was right up in your face in. front of a bunch of other people so the. humiliation was even more pronounced. right so so Rosa Parks gets on the bus.

she takes her seat in the colored. section and after a few stops some white. people got on and the uh the driver. James Blake um said that uh it was time. for them to move that these white people. needed a seat and uh he was moving the. the sign back at least one row yeah so. at this point um there's uh one white. dude left without a seat uh so as is. custom he made four black folks get out.

of their two seats on that row everyone. had to move back cuz there had to be a. whole new white row just for this one. guy right three of the passengers got up. and moved uh Rosa Parks just slid over. to the window seat and sat there and he. said are you going to get up and she. said no I'm not he said well if you. don't stand up I'm going to have to call. the police and have you arrested and she. said you may do that that's awesome I. know man I mean just so brave and so the. police did come she was arrested. she was booked charged uh with uh.

disorderly conduct and uh bailed out by. Clifford Durr and Edgar Nixon who were. the uh local president of the uh the. chapter of the NAACP at the time right. so um so she's out at least temporarily. yeah the next evening so she spent the. night in jail uh I don't I didn't run. across any any statements or uh any kind. of evidence that she was like physically. mistreated or verbally abused by the. police police um but that that seems to.

be unusual for people who were arrested. for not giving up their seats on the bus. what that she was not mistreated right. yeah I mean I'm sure they didn't throw. out the welcome mat no you know no but. um there well this is actually this is. noteworthy here do you want to talk. about how she was not the first person. that year not the first woman to have. been arrested for not giving up her seat. on the bus yeah sure this is something I. didn't realize and I think a lot of. people didn't realize this but there.

were at least two other women in. Montgomery who were arrested that same. year uh one was uh Claudette culvin she. was 15 at the time yeah wasn't she. pregnant too she got pregnant afterward. oh okay um but she was uh 15 and uh she. in March was arrested for not giving up. uh her seat on the bus um she said at. the time she was scared to death but she. felt on one side so J her truth was. holding her down and on the other side.

Harriet Tubman was holding her down and. she was not about to get up so they they. took her off the bus and arrested her. and um apparently she was ridiculed and. treated rather roughly um there was. another woman her name was Mary Louise. Smith I believe she was 18 at the time. she had been arrested like uh in October. um for the same thing I didn't get the. impression that she was necessarily. treated roughly yeah but um but Rosa. Parks when she was arrested from what I. can tell she was treated like the the uh.

with the respect that would be afforded. to a middle class black woman at the. time in Montgomery Alabama which is to. say with maybe the slightest measure of. respect which is to say she wasn't. beaten on the way to to Jail uh there's. a book by the way called claudet koven. colen twice toward Justice from Phil who. or H and uh I think a lot of people. these days are trying to shine a little. light on some of the Lesser known. figures of the civil rights movement and. books are being written and stuff like. that which is pretty awesome and she she.

was asked Claudette coven was asked like. why why does she think it was Rosa Parks. and not her and she had a whole list of. reasons and all of them are pretty. legitimate that you know Rosa Parks was. a a very again a palatable person to a. large swath of people uh and more to the. point she was also 15 and the NAACP. didn't think that a 15-year-old was. going to be the most reliable icon to. kind of project into the national for. front yeah not to say um that a lot of.

people have said over the years that it. was staged so because they set Rosa. Parks up uh or not set her up but they. they picked her to do this because she. was palatable they staged this whole. thing to make which you know would have. been fine uh if that's the way they want. to Kickstart the bus boycott but from. all accounts it was a uh in the- moment. decision she said I didn't know that I. was right going to get arrested and I. was going to sit down yeah it's just. something that happened and so so on the. one hand the people who say that no this. was staged um the.

NAACP and even before the NAACP was. around buses had been like a target of. black activists in Montgomery in. particular for decades I think the first. bus boycott was in 1900 and it wasn't. even a bus it was a trolley line yeah is. what was boycotted so she and and having. already been the secretary of the NAACP. and an activist herself for years by. then she must have been fully aware of. the potential outcome yeah which proved.

to be the actual outcome from her arrest. for not giving up her seat but the idea. of saying that this was all staged it. does a couple of things it's almost like. um a casually racist way of just kind of. diminishing it because it it does two. things one it takes away her bravery. because if if it was if it was staged to. make her own decision support the whole. time would it would have taken away a. measure of of fear um and then secondly. it also makes the NAACP look kind of.

sneaky like they're socially engineering. stuff and then pretending like that's. not the case so I think by saying like. no this was staged it it really. undermines the reality of the situation. which is that this Brave woman said. she'd had. enough yeah and you're right she. probably it probably occurred to her the. ramifications of this but surely I bet. you anything in the moment she was just. like nope nope not getting up uh that's. what I understand that's what she's. always said yeah so um here's what.

happened from there she was arrested. like I said she gets out on bail um over. that weekend a bunch of churches got. together and they started talking. boycott um on the uh when her trial. comes around there's a group called The. Women's political Council and they. handed out 35,000 hand bills uh that. basically said uh please uh children. grown-ups don't ride the bus at all on. Monday please stay off the buses on. Monday let's really try and uh make a.

difference here because it was uh I. think at the time uh black people made. up 75% of the passengers yeah um so it. it could have a real impact on like the. finances of the bus company yeah and it. just was started out as a boycott for. one day for the Monday following Rosa. Park's arrest which was the happened on. a Thursday uh and they were just going. to do it for one day but the the success. of it was so. surprising I think they were hoping for.

like 50% reduction it turned out I saw. both 90 and. 99% reduction in ridership by. African-Americans that day right and if. they make up 75% that's a big loss yeah. for the city bus line right for sure so. it was such a success that they said. well let's maybe let's keep this going. and see what we can do with this because. initially the demands of the the. Montgomery Bus Boycott of. 1955 was that um one of them was black.

Black Riders be treated with courtesy. yeah pretty loow hanging reques um. another one was that uh the the seats be. given on a first come first serve basis. which was the law yeah and that black. people sit from Back to Front white. people sit from front to back so they. were still saying like we can keep the. segregation right but but people. shouldn't have to give up their seats. right and then the last one was they. wanted um black bus drivers to be hired.

to drive the predominantly. African-American routes right so that. that you didn't have to deal with an. armed yeah an armed white bus driver. because they were armed and they had. basically police powers to enforce. segregation on the bus so the original. boycott thing their demands were not. extraordinarily radical and uh when the. boycott was a success on that first. Monday um they decided to extend it and. they also decided maybe they should. expand their demands a little a little. more so while all this is going on uh.

she was she was found guilty on that. Monday uh she was F 10 bucks plus uh. court cost of $4 for $14 total and said. uh nope I'm going to appeal this. conviction uh she challenged the. basically she was what she was. challenging was segregation in general. uh not being constitutional right and. that ended up being the argument that. was uh well we'll get to the court case. and how it escalated but um she was. found guilty and um the other notable.

thing that happened. was uh one Ralph David Abernathy and Dr. Martin Luther King who was a young. minister in town of Dexter Avenue. Baptist uh he was elected president of. what was called the Mia the Montgomery. Improvement. Association um which they formed because. of of the success of the boycott right. so you have this new organization uh uh. then about a month later um month and a. half at the end of January uh Martin. Luther King's home was bombed um.

everyone was unharmed in the incident. but it really ramped up um the stakes of. what was going on yeah well for sure and. the they apparently the Montgomery. Improvement Association is credited with. making the boycott successful and the. way that they made it successful was. through a car pool they set up they. bought a bunch of station wagons and put. them in the name of some of the black. churches in town and these these. station wagons would basically recreate.

the bus routes they drove pre. predetermined routes um and they were. they were giving like 20,000 people a. ride every day that's how successful. this was and they put such a crimp uh in. the um the the finances of the city bus. line that a couple of things happened. one they uh had to lay off workers close. down lines raise their fairs like it. really hurt the city bus lines and then.

secondly the city and I believe maybe. even the state sued the the Montgomery. Improvement Association for for this. boycott which is apparently illegal. under a 1921 Alabama Law yeah they they. sued against the car service. specifically saying that the the bus. company had an exclusive franchise right. uh and they did get an injunction uh in. November of 1956 MH but all of this uh. comes out of the fact that in like 30. something years earlier in 1921 Alabama.

passed an anti-boycott Act Right which. basically said. that it's it's illegal for you to not. ride the. bus in this case in that case. sure or at least organize people and get. them to not ride the bus yeah uh it was. something like it was a misdemeanor to. organize against somebody carrying out. lawful business or whatever so they were. getting them on two things the boycott. and then in infringing on the bus lines.

franchise in that city right right so. what do you do if you are suing or I'm. sorry if you're uh if you have an. anti-boycott act I mean you can't arrest. everyone so they go after um I think 89. Martin Luther King Jr and 89 other uh. other members of the Mia and obviously. because they're the most I think how. many of them 24 of them were ministers. they're the most prominent members uh. and he was find 500 bucks and spent a. couple weeks in jail yeah he said he's.

very proud of his crime he should be. yeah sure so um now Martin Luther King. is um appealing so we've got a few. things going on here you've got Rosa. Parks who has been convicted and now is. appealing her her $10 plus $4 in court. cost fine for breaking the city. ordinance even though she didn't you've. got Martin Luther King now who is. appealing his $500 fine for the boycott.

and the infringing on the bus lines. franchise and then you have something. else you have a class action suit called. um Browder versus gaale it was um named. after uh oh what's her name the the. woman who's the the lead plaintiff in. the case her name is Aurelia s Browder. uh and the Gale in the case was the. Montgomery um the Montgomery mayor. I think William Gale and we'll talk.

about that well let's take a break and. we'll talk about this case and we'll. we'll come back to the the drum beat of. the court system starting to kick in. [Music].

all right so appeals run slow anyway but. in the South if it's a if it's a case. like this it's going to go super slow. because the Hope from the white. establishment is you know maybe enough. time will goes by uh time will go by and. these people just sort of get in line. and forget about it get tired of this. boycott and everything will just go back. to normal yeah which was kind of a. gamble because this boycott was not. showing any signs of cracking. so they were basically making that bet.

on the back of the city bus line and on. the jobs of the the drivers who are. being laid off because ridership was. down so low 381 days 381 days right for. the boycott um so the like I said this. court the the drum beat of the court. system was starting to grow a little bit. louder um and you had three big cases. Martin Luther King's case Rosa Park's. case and you had U Browder versus Gail. and BR versus Gail represented Four. Women originally five but four women who.

had been convicted of of breaking the. law for not giving up their seat on the. bus in Montgomery one of them was. Claudette culvin another was uh Mary. Louise uh Smith I believe and then um. Aurelia Browder and then lastly was. Susie McDonald Susie McDonald right so. um these four women got together and. sued the mayor the bus line a few bus. drivers uh the City Public Works.

commission um just a big group of people. and they were suing to to all three of. those cases were suing to question the. constitutionality and the legality of. segregation in general yeah but. specifically on the bus lines and there. was a a talk at first by Freddy gray who. was the lead lawyer in the in Brer Vale. that um of including Rosa s but he very. very wisely kept her separate from that.

case because he said he wanted the. courts to just consider one thing not. whether Rosa Parks was guilty or not but. whether the segregation on the. Montgomery buses was was legal and. constitutional so he kept those separate. very very smartly yeah I think he knew. that he could get this to the Supreme. Court uh this way it was a test case and. that was his his ultimate goal sure uh. because it was a state statute though. and the state constitution of Alabama uh.

it was of course first brought before. District Court uh three judges in US. District Court on June 5th 1956 they. ruled 2 to1 uh that segregation was. unconstitutional uh of course they cited. Brown versus Board of Education as. precedent uh and it eventually wound its. way to the Supreme Court uh in 1956 on. December 17th uh actually that was. pretty quick yeah considering yeah uh. and they rejected all appeals and voted. N9 to nothing 9 to zero that it was.

unconstitutional yep nine to nothing um. which is I mean that's really saying. something unanimous Supreme Court. decision regarding segregation yeah in. the 1950s yeah so um that was a that was. huge I think uh Dr King was in court. that day when he was told by a reporter. about that decision the Supreme Court. decision um and even after uh he said. we're we're keeping up the boycott. because well when they implement this. desegregation on the buses we'll stop.

the boycott right and after the Supreme. Court ruling came through the city of. Montgomery uh saw pretty clearly that. there wasn't any way to keep this up any. longer and I believe within 3 days the. buses were desegregated and on the first. day that they were desegregated Rosa. Parks took her seat on a bus uh in the. front row I believe yeah they hired. black bus drivers uh and this is after. by the way um 381 days of of a total. sales loss of.

65% so um yeah and on the other side. Ralph David aby's home was bombed Martin. Luther King's home was bombed uh people. were in jail uh people were in court it. was a big struggle down in Montgomery. yeah uh so on December 21st um Dr King. and uh his white friend Reverend Glenn. Smiley sat together on the front row uh. with Ralph David Abernathy Street here. in Atlanta yeah named for him uh Ed. Dixon and uh gray the uh the attorney. that saw that case right so that was a.

that was a huge thing that did a number. of things it made Rosa Parks an icon. yeah it projected um Martin Luther King. into the national Spotlight that was. basically where he first found National. Fame as and basically was like well this. guy's the leader of the Civil Rights. Movement now um and it also was a huge. domino in the idea of desegregation in. general not just on buses not just. Montgomery but the concept it it.

followed in the in the wake of py v. Ferguson which it was just one of those. court cases that. said separate facilities is inherently. racist because the only reason you would. have separate facilities is because you. think one group is superior over the. other and they shouldn't have to consort. or mix right that's inherently. unconstitutional this is one of those. dominoes that fell in that chain that. led to segregation across the Jim Crow. South and like a laser this particular.

case and the the changes it brought were. focused right onto Rosa Parks her act. her courage what she did yeah and this. was this was within our parents'. lifetime I know I was wondering I was. like why am I so much more jazzed about. this in Harriet Tubman I love Harriet. tub Tubman's story but I remember when I. was researching wasn't nearly as just. and I realized like I can relate to this.

woman so much better just because this. is pretty pretty recent you know well. yeah and and just the notion that uh. where we are as a country now racially. um this was not that long ago MH so for. the the people in the camp of saying. just get over things um. African-Americans just get over things. it's like this was not hundreds and. hundreds of years ago right this was. very recently these like my peers. parents had to live through this well.

one thing Rosa Parks is now known for. what they didn't realize before is you. know she her act in like the civil. rights movement that grew out of her. like the next 10 years 15 years there's. this idea that around 1970 there was a. button put on that and it was like you. guys were successful way to go we can. stop doing this now Rosa Parks was like. no no it's not done this hasn't changed. up until she died in 2005 she was like.

this struggle still continuing yeah. people didn't realize that about her. until this collection was opened yeah. she um this all came uh there was. significant cost to her family to her. her husband yeah um her and her husband. both suffered through uh stomach ulcers. because of this they lost their jobs um. eventually they uh left Alabama said. let's go to Virginia and Virginia wasn't. a whole lot better they said all right. let's go to Detroit kept going north uh.

and then finally after not having a job. for a long time she was hired a. secretary for uh John Conor a brand new. uh brand newly elected black congressman. who uh she would work for for 23 years. and uh Mr Conor's you know he was the. one who stepped down last year after. sexual assault allegations after serving. many many years in Congress um and was a. civil rights icon so it's kind of a it's. very sad ending to that story yeah uh.

but Rosa worked for him um in 77 her. husband James died of cancer uh her. brother died of cancer three months. later her mom died two years after that. um but I get the sense that after that. it. really uh it really kind of freed her to. really go back to work and devote. herself once again to the Cause right uh. because after those family members. passed away she established the Rosa. Parks uh Scholarship Foundation uh in. the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for.

self-development and wrote two Memoirs. yeah she was busy she was uh and then. very sadly I know I I remember this in. 1994 um when she was home invaded and. robbed and like hit over the head by a. guy named Joseph Skipper yeah man that. was just like I. mean are you kidding me with that for 58. bucks of all the the houses to accident. break into yeah um what you think he.

knew it was Rosa Parks I don't know I. don't know but he I've seen nothing to. indicate that that was true he knew that. um that he would go down as the man who. robbed and beat Rosa Parks oh well yeah. so um yeah I don't I don't think he was. he she was targeted because she was Rosa. Parks or anything like that I think. she's just a little old lady the. impression I have is it doesn't matter. if she was Rosa Parks or not sure you. know what I'm saying yeah yeah so she. that was 94 you said and then like right.

afterward there was a huge National. outcry and she um moved into like a very. secure highrise yeah in Detroit where. she lived until she died in 2005 I. believe she died in that apartment 92. years young uh and she had a a slew of. honors uh unprecedented honors in this. country um she was transported her body. to Washington DC uh and she laid in. honor under the Rotunda the US capital. first woman y to get that honor uh the.

second African-American and the first. non-government um American ever to have. this honor yep that is a high honor yeah. when she died every flag on public land. in the United States and around the. world was flown at half mast which is. pretty pretty great too yeah George W. bush made sure that happened uh and then. here's just some of her lifetime uh. achievement awards uh NAACP gave her.

What's called the spinar medal in 1979. uhhuh their highest honor uh she's in. the Michigan woman's Hall of Fame uh. Martin Luther King Jr award. 1980 um you could have just stopped at. the Michigan Hall of Fame Michigan. Women's Hall of Fame yeah uh the. presidential medal of freedom in. 1996 Congressional gold Michigan Women's. Hall of Fame Congressional gold medal no. no now we're in a contest um Time. magazine named her as one of the 20 most.

influential iconic figures of the 20th. century it's a big one okay uh and then. yeah you mentioned George W bush uh. ordered half Mass Flags in 2005 so again. there was this this idea that she was. just a a tired Little Old Lady Who uh. was quietly Brave and didn't give up her. seat and she was kind of Meek and quiet. um and in. 2014 her Personal Collection in the Ros. of parks collection was sold to the. Howard Buffett Foundation uh Warren.

Buffett's son they bought it for a song. at like 4 and A5 million and it's. something like I think 6,500 documents. and 2500 photographs and it is her. personal papers like notes for speeches. notes for her books I believe um. correspondence and it paints this. picture that no one had of her before. which was no like this lady was an. activist through and through her whole. life she was an activist who um wanted.

to talk about and agitate for the rights. of black Americans and how messed up the. situation was that they lived in um and. that she wouldn't normalize this she. would she would learn to to to deal with. it as much as she needed to while she. was working to change it um and there. was just a surprise to a lot of people. when they they cracked open these papers. and found that that picture of her yeah. also want to shout out um article how. history got the roads of Park story.

wrong um and this was written by the. same person who wrote the award-winning. book The rebellious life of Mrs Rosa. Parks her name is uh Jean uh Theo. Harris. Theus it's all one word yeah I know it. sounds like it should be hyphenated it's. really easy to say but how do you say it. I have no idea I know I but she's. Professor uh professor of polyi at. Brooklyn College uh of uh C yep man.

great lady yep so uh if you want to know. more about Rosa Parks go out on the. internet educate yourself I still. haven't seen that movie have you seen. that no the uh about the uh bus boycott. no I mean it was a significant event I. had no idea um okay well I think I said. go search stuff in there somewhere so it. means it's time for listen or mail. I'm going to call this uh oh tiny things.

all right hey guys let me start off by. saying enjoyed the podcast very much. fine aside from uh being interesting and. entertaining it very much helps my time. in the car we get that a lot sure. commute helped people would go insane if. it weren't for us um several episodes. ago I believe Chuck mentioned that you. love tiny things I do Josh likes things. that are grossly. oversized that giant pocket watch over. there yeah it's kind of a I'm wearing it. like FL of flight uh he mentioned loving.

tiny things there is something. extraordinarily satisfying about them I. agree I love tiny things would be remiss. if I did not bring um bring you to the. Museum of Jurassic technology I love. that place I know I've been there too um. it's in Los Angeles uh there are not one. but two fantastic exhibits of tiny. things the eye of the needle and micro. mosaics I don't think I saw those did. you the tiny thing I remember was like. the DI ramas of the. trailers and the eye of the needle I.

remember that oh yeah yeah I don't. remember the micro mosaics though I. haven't been in many years though yeah. same here uh eye of the needle features. delightful Whimsical miniature. sculptures actually small enough to fit. into the eye of a needle oh well there. you go that's a little too small for me. okay so you like so you like I like the. tiny Tabasco bottles that you get. inurance you like to feel like you're a. giant not like a god yeah gotcha exactly. I just want to be taller uh the micro. mosaics exhibit also requires magnifying. glass to enjoy however beautiful this.

exhibit has a slightly creepy aspect to. it the tiny Mosaic pieces are in fact. bits of butterfly. wings yeah that's not too creepy well I. mean did they kill the butterflies. depends yeah how' they come across those. wings where they Rogue kill if so that's. fine yeah what a job I know go out and. just try and find dead butterflies yeah. uh all in all these exhibits have a. wonderful feel of magic realism Museum. also features a lovely rooftop garden as. well as a meditative Tea Room to enjoy.

complimentary cup of tea mhm interesting. that is all guys uh cheers from Sandra. Williams thanks a lot for the shout out. Sandra that is indeed a great place if. you're ever in Los Angeles everybody go. check out the Museum of Jurassic. technology just go in with your mind. open and thank us later yeah get out of. Ripley Believe It or Not we'll go to. both you know. sure I say get out of Ripley Believe It. or Not Okay yeah but I mean Jack Palance. man how do you how do you pass that up I.

don't get it remember he was the the. host of the TV show oh was he or not. yeah my brother worked with him on uh. City Slickers 2 gotta and there was one. story where uh you know he's kind of old. at the time where Scott as the ad is to. walk him second ad is to walk the talent. to the set from their trailer and it was. through the desert the rocky desert and. Scott was like you know look out for. that rock Mr pal or something like that. and one day he was just like I don't. need you to tell me how to.

walk Scott like shrank down of course I. can't remember if that's exactly what he. said but but I'll bet I'll bet um Jack. Palance felt so bad for yelling at Scott. of all people I doubt it you know it's. Scott he he didn't Delight in Scott like. everyone else does he's Jack pal yeah. well if you want to tell us how great. you think Scott is you can send us all. an email including Jerry to stuff. podcast howstuffworks.com as always join. our home on the web stuff you should. know.com.

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