Rosa Parks will embark on a flight tomorrow to make history for one last time. Her body will be displayed in the US Capitol rotunda, and she will be the first woman to be so honored.
It is a fitting tribute to a remarkable woman who represents the ultimate paradox. You see, the most remarkable feature about Ms. Parks was how UNremarkable she was, in so many ways.
In the 100 plus year struggle for equality for blacks in America, there was no shortage of leaders in the struggle. The escalation that took place after World War II was no exception. But as the laundry list of notable African Americans who fought the civil rights struggle is brought out, Rosa Parks stands alone. Medgar Evers, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Junior, Malcolm X, all were noteworthy, but all were fueled by a desire for a certain self importance, a certain place in history. Rosa was different. She wasn't looking for a place in history, but rather, it found HER.
You see, all she was looking for was a place to sit on a hot day, something every gentleman should have been more than willing to oblige her. But because she was born the wrong color in the wrong time, it was denied her.
There were probably thousands of women just like Rosa in Alabama, who faced the same challenge and stood and walked back to their "proper place" rather than stay put, but it was Rosa's resolve, her character, that made her into something more. But more important than that was what Rosa DIDN'T do after the fact.
She never gloated over her accomplishments. She didn't push her celebrity, didn't overstate who she was, and didn't cave to what must have been intense pressure to let the media make her into something she wasn't. She didn't shout hatred towards whitey, demand reparations, or whine about how unfair her lot in life was. She never tainted herself with the ugliness that stained so many of her contemporaries. She was, in all ways, a lady. A lady who was simply looking to rest.
And this coming week she'll get that much deserved rest. This is one angel that I am sure God is welcoming home with open arms.
Rest in peace, Rosa.