Civil rights pioneer honored

The Boston College community joined millions of Americans this week in remembering the life and legacy of one of the nation's greatest civil rights heroine, Rosa Parks. Tuesday's memorial in the Gasson Rotunda honored Parks for dedicating her life to championing civil rights and social equality. Her act of refusing to give up her seat to a white man left an indelible mark on American society and is often defined as the beginning of the civil rights movement in 1955.

Nearly 50 years after she spearheaded the movement with Martin Luther King Jr., Parks was still making history.

She was the first woman ever honored in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C., sharing this unique tribute with Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and few other national leaders.

Ines Maturana Sendoya, interim director of the Office of AHANA Student Programs (OASP), reflected on Parks' legacy in her introductory remarks.

"When I think about Rosa Parks, I am reminded that it takes one act of courage to get the wheels of change turning," she said. "I am reminded that change is possible and that change is slow. I am reminded that we are all called to contribute even with small courageous acts to make our society more just."

Sendoya reminded the community to celebrate all dimensions of Parks' courageous toil, such as her contributions as secretary of the NAACP Youth Council, vote activist, co-founder of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institution for Self-Development, staffer of U.S. Representative John Conyers of Michigan, and lecturer, speaker, and educator.

Richard Jefferson, executive director of the Center for Institutional Diversity, introduced the ceremony with an invocation from the 23rd Psalm.

"It is only fitting to read her favorite prayer," Jefferson said. "She was a person of principle and persistence, who was prepared, and a person of character and faith."

He referenced the words of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson about Parks: "She sat down in order that we all might stand up, and the walls of segregation came down."

Parks' story and her struggle for equality was narrated by three students, who described her arrests for violating segregation laws, launching the Montgomery Bus boycott, and challenging the Jim Crow laws.

"She finally had enough of being treated as a second-class citizen," said Kelly Rodriguez, A&S '06. "Today she is a hero, an ordinary person who made a difference."

The remembrance was complemented by a musical reflection by Marcus Thorne, a member of Voices of Imani and A&S '07, who sung "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing."

The speakers drew on primary sources to commemorate Parks' role as the pioneer of civil rights.

They recited her original words, saying "People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was 42. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in."

The community was then invited to share reflections on the 92-year-old civil rights icon.

"She defied authority and put her life at constant risk," said Dan Bunch, director of the Learning to Learn Program. "If it wasn't for her sitting, I would not be at this podium at BC today."

Rev. Joe Marchese, director of the Office of First Year Experience, reflected on how the civil rights movement was one of the defining influences on his vocation.

"For me, it formed my whole idea of ministry," he said. "There is no moment in my priesthood that I felt closer to God and more effective as a preacher."

He encouraged students to follow Parks' paradigm by exploring and harvesting their gifts for the betterment of others.

Joana Maynard, assistant director of the OASP, concluded the ceremony by urging the community to mirror Parks' actions and words. "Please make a difference in someone's life," she said.

The OASP provided a reflection book that students and faculty signed with memories and well-wishes, which will be sent to the Parks' family on behalf of the BC community.