Rosa Parks

She died yesterday. I think she caught people’s imagination more than most people in the domain of civil rights. My perspective may be somewhat different, I didn’t live through any of it, but when people my age think about it, I think, a lot of respect goes to her. David Weinberger talks about the mythology of Rosa Parks and how a sort of larger-than-life story has evolved around her.

Stories about how she was a maid for some white family, and was tired, and old. It’s an interesting discussion. She actually worked for the NAACP at the time, and was probably very well aware of various injustices. That makes the story less powerful in people’s opinion, but why?

What is wrong with people that a lifetime of dedication and knowledge working with racial injustice culminating in a decision not to stand for it anymore is less powerful than a woman who does it with no background? I’m honestly not sure. Why would we trust a black maid who is tired more than a black woman who is fighting for her rights openly? I think it has some to do with sexism, and some to do with a distrust or organizations generally perceived as having media savvy.

Regardless, it’s interesting to see the various versions of her story, for example, apple is currently running conflicting stories on the same page. She wasn’t really a seamstress when she was arrested, she had a clerical job at the NAACP. Honor the truth, not a caricature.