All People

Rosa Parks being arrested in Montgomery

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

by Craig
Today’s blog entry is a guest editorialist, Craig, who is an avid student of religion, history and Americana in general. As we approach the one year anniversary of Rosa Parks’ death, Craig discusses courage and human dignity.

Of all people, Rosa Parks. She refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, and her insistence on being treated with dignity and respect led a people to rise up and peacefully demand equal treatment.

Rosa Parks signifies everyday people going about their daily lives engaging in the little battles that make a difference. All people struggle against hate and fear, as well as their own personal demons. Rosa Parks’ strength was her demand to be – to be who she was; to be treated like all people. We see in her actions that which makes all people great. We attribute it to her because she did it, yet I imagine she would say, “It’s something anyone in my place would have done.” This is simply another way of saying “all people.”

Her everyday act started a movement that would change the life of all people in this country, and she lived out the remainder of her days engaging in acts similar to her act that day on the bus. These acts, seeking dignity and respect for all people, compose a rich, full tapestry of days which has been drawn to a close. For a season, the people in whom she awakened courage to fight for human dignity, equality and respect, and the people in whom she awakened the courage to overcome the bondage of bigotry, oppression, and hatred, stood side by side to honor her life.

Hers wasn’t a courage with a capital “C” – the Courage that we see in the superhero that rises above natural laws to overcome great odds. It is the simple, everyday courage she awakened in all people. If all people did similar small things, imagine how much farther along people would be in becoming what God created them to be and how much closer this world would be toward His vision. While other paths may be paved with good intentions, I believe the City on the Hill is reached using a path paved with cobblestones comprised of the everyday acts of simple courage by all people.