Life and Legacy of Rosa Parks Honored
Commemoration This Saturday, Feb. 25
February 23, 2017
<p>To honor the life and legacy of Rosa Parks, the City of Tallahassee will acknowledge her efforts this Saturday, Feb. 25, at 10 a.m. in StarMetro’s C.K. Steele Plaza. The Rosa Parks Commemoration will showcase a plaque honoring the civil rights activist. The bronze plaque joins another key African American history monument in the plaza, the statue of Reverend C.K. Steele. Reverend C.K. Steele, for whom the plaza is named, led the 1956 Tallahassee Bus Boycott.</p>
<p>The community is invited to attend this event. Light refreshments will be provided. </p>
<p>After honoring Rosa Parks, attendees are invited to make their way to the Harambee Festival at Cascades Park. The festival, which is presented by Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and supported by the City, celebrates African American culture. While on the way to the festival, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., attendees are encouraged to stop by other historic points of interest, including but not limited to the Civil Rights Heritage Walk located at the corner S. Monroe and Jefferson streets, John G. Riley Center/Museum and the Smokey Hollow Commemoration also located downtown. </p>
<p>Rosa Parks is often referred to as "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement." On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala., Parks refused to obey a bus driver's order to give up her seat to a white passenger. Parks' courageous act and the Montgomery Bus Boycott became important symbols of the modern Civil Rights Movement. She became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. February is African American History Month, but it is also the month that Rosa Parks was born. If she were living today, Parks would be celebrating her 104th birthday. </p>
<p>For more information about the City of Tallahassee, visit <a href="http://www.talgov.com/Main/Home.aspx"><strong><em>Talgov.com</em></strong></a><strong><em>.</em></strong> You can also stay up-to-date with the City on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/COTNews/">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/COTNews">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cotnews/">Instagram</a>.</p>
<p>Alison Faris, Communications Department, 891-8533</p>
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