Tag: Rosa Parks

By Micha Green, AFRO Washington, D.C. Editor, mgreen@afro.com Politics aren’t for the faint of heart- and, according to the new book, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics,” it’s taken some of the strongest people around to keep politicians and parties in tact- Black women. Described as the “four most powerful African-American women in politics,” Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry and Minyon Moore wrote “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics” and on Oct. 27 three of the authors were featured on the Armstrong Williams Show. “The purpose was to share our lessons being eye witnesses to history,” Brazile, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, told Williams. Moore, who served as the director of the White House Office of Public Liaison under the Clinton administration, said the key to her success in politics was an understanding of business. “Well that belonged to the White House and we had to figure out ‘How do we get it back?’ That was the first time we ever buried somebody,” Brazile said. “It was just marvelous.” Moore told several stories about the Clintons. She explained that Clinton was one of the first presidents who insisted on a diverse cabinet. I want to have strong women in my cabinet,’” Moore said. “We were seeing that people were going to the polls and they weren’t voting for president. They were voting down ballot [not voting president and vice president]…76,000 people did that in Michigan and we didn’t find that out until later.” Through all the lessons from careers in politics, the women explained that the true purpose behind the work is beyond partisan ideals.

This week, President Trump commemorated the courage of Rosa Parks, the Montgomery, Alabama seamstress who refused to give up her seat on a bus. She also played the racist bus driver telling her to give up her seat, then presented the aftermath of her arrest and the sensational fame that followed. Pretty soon, the entire “Whites Only” section filled up, yet more white passengers began boarding. The bus driver told Parks and three other black passengers to move to the back of the bus. She determined never to suffer that kind of outrage and humiliation, and further resolved to avoid that particular bus driver, James Blake. Furthermore, Rosa Parks’ decision was not some “didn’t do nothing” act, for she suffered a great deal following her civil disobedience. Another question arises: Many black activists before her had refused to give up their seats, yet nothing happened. Why was Parks’ refusal to give up her seat successful in fueling protest and ending the bus line segregation? What should we learn today from her fight against racism and government-sponsored bigotry? Black activists have blocked white students from entering college dorms.