SHUTTERSTOCK/GETTY
IMAGES
When did you hear about Rosa
Parks? As a kid, I was interested in
the civil rights movement. I read
Harper Lee’s novel about racial
injustice, To Kill a Mockingbird, and
some of the black American writer
Maya Angelou’s books, and it was
then that I heard about her.What kind of woman was she? Rosa grew up on a farm outside
Montgomery, Alabama with her grandparents and as a girl was
bullied by white children. Throughout her life she was aware of the
injustice she suffered as a result of her skin colour in what was then a
very racially segregated society, and she joined the NAACP (Nation-
al Association for the Advancement of Colored People) as a young
woman. I think life must have been very hard for her back then.What was her finest hour? It was her simple act of rebellion
when she refused to give up her seat for a white passenger. She was
arrested, charged with, and found guilty of, violating a local city bylaw
after a 30-minute trial and fined $10, plus $4 in court costs – a consid-
erable amount at the time. Her arrest triggered the successful Mont-
gomery bus boycott by black Americans. The 13-month protest ended
with the US Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is
unconstitutional. Rosa’s actions highlighted internationally the plight
of black people in the 1950s-era deep south and were a landmark in
their struggle for equality in American society.What made Parks a hero? That one single act of defiance and
bravery which paved the way for change and in due course helped
make America, and in a way Britain too, a fairer society for people,
regardless of their colour or creed. It’s hard to appreciate now the
courage she showed in taking on authority in an era when discrimi-
nation was so commonplace and ingrained in society. Doing what
she did took real guts. I also admire the fact that she did not use
violence to try to achieve her ends. Rosa continued in her civil rights
work into old age, working tirelessly to help young black people fulfil
their full potential; she was equally vocal in calling for more black
students to be given the chance to go to university.Is her act of rebellion still relevant today? Sadly, yes, and
that’s why organisations such as Black Lives Matter, which cam-
paigns against racism, are still needed.
Tackling racism isn’t just about letting people
sit where they want to sit on a bus, it’s aboutMY HISTORY HERO
Gabby Logan was appointed
Member of the Order of the
British Empire (MBE) in the 2020
New Year Honours for services to
sports broadcasting and the
promotion of women in sportRosa’s actions highlighted
internationally the plight of
black people in the 1950s-era
deep south of America
Gabby Logan, TV and radio presenter, chooses
Rosa Parks
1913–2005
LISTEN AGAIN
genuinely creating equality of opportunity for
all, regardless of the colour of one’s skin.What would you ask Parks if
you could meet her? I’d like to know
how much progress on equality she thinks
has been made in the decades since her
famous protest.
Gabby Logan was talking to York MemberyIn Radio 4’s
Great Lives, guests
choose inspirational
figures: bbc.co.uk/
programmes/b006qxsbIN PROFILE
Rosa Parks was an American civil
rights activist best known for her
pivotal role in the Montgomery
bus boycott of 1955, when public
transport in the US state of
Alabama was racially segregated.
She subsequently became an
iconic figure in the civil rights
movement. On the centenary of
her birth, the then-US president,
Barack Obama, called upon all
Americans to honour Rosa
Parks’s “enduring legacy”.Rosa Parks (right) rides
on a bus following the
Supreme Court’s ruling to
end racial segregation on
Montgomery’s public
transit systemSHUTTERSTOCK/GETTY
IMAGES
WhendidyouhearaboutRosa
Parks?Asa kid,I wasinterestedin
thecivilrightsmovement.I read
HarperLee’snovelaboutracial
injustice,ToKilla Mockingbird, and
someoftheblackAmericanwriter
MayaAngelou’sbooks,andit was
then that I heard about her.Whatkindofwomanwasshe?Rosa grew up on a farm outside
Montgomery, Alabama with her grandparents and as a girl was
bullied by white children. Throughout her life she was aware of the
injustice she suffered as a result of her skin colour in what was then a
very racially segregated society, and she joined the NAACP (Nation-
al Association for the Advancement of Colored People) as a young
woman. I think life must have been very hard for her back then.Whatwasherfinesthour? It was her simple act of rebellion
when she refused to give up her seat for a white passenger. She was
arrested, charged with, and found guilty of, violating a local city bylaw
after a 30-minute trial and fined $10, plus $4 in court costs – a consid-
erable amount at the time. Her arrest triggered the successful Mont-
gomery bus boycott by black Americans. The 13-month protest ended
with the US Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is
unconstitutional. Rosa’s actions highlighted internationally the plight
of black people in the 1950s-era deep south and were a landmark in
their struggle for equality in American society.WhatmadeParksa hero? That one single act of defiance and
bravery which paved the way for change and in due course helped
make America, and in a way Britain too, a fairer society for people,
regardless of their colour or creed. It’s hard to appreciate now the
courage she showed in taking on authority in an era when discrimi-
nation was so commonplace and ingrained in society. Doing what
she did took real guts. I also admire the fact that she did not use
violence to try to achieve her ends. Rosa continued in her civil rights
work into old age, working tirelessly to help young black people fulfil
their full potential; she was equally vocal in calling for more black
students to be given the chance to go to university.Is heractofrebellionstillrelevanttoday? Sadly, yes, and
that’s why organisations such as Black Lives Matter, which cam-
paignsagainstracism,arestillneeded.
Tacklingracismisn’tjustaboutlettingpeople
sitwheretheywanttositona bus,it’saboutMY HISTORY HERO
Gabby Logan was appointed
Member of the Order of the
British Empire (MBE) in the 2020
New Year Honours for services to
sports broadcasting and the
promotion of women in sportRosa’s actions highlighted
internationally the plight of
black people in the 1950s-era
deep south of America
Gabby Logan, TV and radio presenter, chooses
Rosa Parks
1913–2005
LISTEN AGAIN
genuinelycreatingequalityofopportunityfor
all,regardlessofthecolourofone’sskin.WhatwouldyouaskParksif
youcouldmeether?I’dliketoknow
howmuchprogressonequalityshethinks
hasbeenmadeinthedecadessinceher
famousprotest.
Gabby Logan was talking to York MemberyIn Radio 4’s
Great Lives, guests
choose inspirational
figures: bbc.co.uk/
programmes/b006qxsbINPROFILE
Rosa Parks was an American civil
rights activist best known for her
pivotal role in the Montgomery
bus boycott of 1955, when public
transport in the US state of
Alabama was racially segregated.
She subsequently became an
iconic figure in the civil rights
movement. On the centenary of
her birth, the then-US president,
Barack Obama, called upon all
Americans to honour Rosa
Parks’s “enduring legacy”.Rosa Parks (right) rides
on a bus following the
Supreme Court’s ruling to
end racial segregation on
Montgomery’s public
transit system