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Did
You Know?
Dispelling
myths: Rosa Parks did not sit in the front of the bus as is
widely believed. She sat in the first row of the black section.
Enduring mission: In speeches at conventions, churches,
schools and official celebrations, Parks has long tried to make
her fellow Americans, especially young people, aware of the history
of civil rights.
Literary
force: She has been instrumental in the writing of four books
about her life: "I Am Rosa Parks," "Rosa Parks: My Story," "Quiet
Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of the Woman Who
Changed a Nation," "Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth"
and her most recent, "I Am Rosa Parks." In 1999, she was at work
on a cookbook.
A woman of values: Her commitment to first-class citizenship
is based on her belief that all people are created equal; her
power stems from a philosophy of quiet strength.
A woman of faith: Parks' favorite book is the Bible. Her
favorite Bible passages are:
- "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall
I be afraid?"
- "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came
upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. ..."
- "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his
pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide
me; he shall set me up upon a rock."
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Music to her ears: She loves gospel, hymns and spirituals.
Film
buff: Her favorite movies are comedies.
Vegetarian
lifestyle: Parks maintains a vegetarian diet. Among her favorite
vegetables are broccoli, greens, sweet potatoes and string beans.
Parks'
influences: "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., my dear friend; my
mother, Leona McCauley, who was also a schoolteacher and taught
me; and my grandparents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards, who raised
me along with my mother. Youth have always influenced me."
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