Civil rights icon Rosa Parks is receiving a special tribute aboard the Milwaukee County Transit System this week.
The transit system is holding a seat open on every bus in its fleet. In the open seat, a single rose is accompanied by a special placard explaining Parks' legacy in the civil rights movement.
The tribute, running through Dec. 3, coincides with the anniversary of Parks refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, which occurred on Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama.
"By refusing to give in to racism and oppression, Rosa Parks demonstrated bravery that continues to inspire us more than six decades later. This tribute serves as a reminder, to the progress made and also the critical work of driving racial equity to confront institutional and systemic racism across Milwaukee County and in the region," said Nicole M. Brookshire, executive director of the Milwaukee County Office on African American Affairs, in a MCTS news release.
This is the fourth year the transit system has participated in a Rosa Parks tribute. "Every year, we receive an outpouring of support and positive feedback about this important tribute," said Donna Brown-Martin, director of the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation.
Parks died in 2005 at the age of 92 in Detroit.
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