Goodwill of Colorado Celebrates Black History Month

As a movement dedicated to helping individuals achieve greater independence, Goodwill is honored to celebrate Black History Month.

Each Friday throughout February, we’ll share the story of a Black American who helped advance justice, freedom and equality. Today, on the anniversary of her birth, we honor the legacy of Rosa Parks, a champion of the Civil Rights Movement. Ms. Parks demonstrated remarkable courage throughout her life, and her actions on December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, launched her into the spotlight.

On that day, Ms. Parks was riding on a bus in the segregated section for people of color. The driver ordered her to give up her seat to a Caucasian man because his section of the bus was full. She refused, observing later, “I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day…No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”

Rosa Parks was arrested and found guilty of disorderly conduct. Her case became well-known and in the following year, the Supreme Court ruled segregation on public buses to be unconstitutional. Ms. Parks lost her job after her arrest, but subsequently moved to Detroit and became an advocate for fair housing and lending practices on the staff of Congressman John Conyers.

Later in her life, Ms. Parks was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal and the NAACP’s Springarn Medal. After her passing in 2005, she was the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Rosa Parks’ courageous actions still inspire us today. Read more about her story here.

Though its origins were born early in the twentieth century, Black History Month has been celebrated by every U.S. President since 1976 with a designated theme. This year’s theme is Black Health and Wellness. There are conversation starters and activities linked here courtesy of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

We look forward to celebrating Black History Month with you!