"Sit in the back of the bus"

what does this statement really mean>? "Sit in the back of the bus"

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement".

On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks, age 42, refused to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger.

While her action was not the first of its kind to impact the civil rights issue (see also Lizzie Jennings in 1854, Irene Morgan in 1946, Sarah Louise Keys in 1955, Claudette Colvin on the same bus system nine months before Parks), Parks' individual action of civil disobedience created further impact by sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Parks' act of defiance became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and Parks became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. She organized and collaborated with civil rights leaders, including boycott leader Martin Luther King, Jr., helping to launch him to national prominence in the civil rights movement. source

To me I think of Rosa parks, Lizzie Jennings, Irene Morgan, Sarah Louise Keys, Claudette Colvin.
these People DEFINE what it means to be forced to sit at the back of the bus.



what do you think of when you hear the phrase "Sit in the back of the bus".


to me only one word comes to mind and that is HATE.

reply to post by -W1LL


I think of hate, ugliness, and ignorance.

It has no place in CIVIL discussions.


Bravo for bringing this topic up...I have a feeling some people around here really need to hear it.

There is only one context I am aware of around this phrase. I think of Rosa Parks and the strength it took for her to stand up to racial oppression. And I think of the ignorance that put her back there in the first place...

reply to post by -W1LL


Hey! Obama talked about metaphorical seating arrangements in cars so it's gotta be fair game for bigots to use!

ps edit - I hope you picked up on the sarcasm there.