Make Up Your Mind...Rosa Parks

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."

--Rosa Parks, Seamstress and Civil Rights Activist

Rosa Parks bronze artwork depicting her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on 12/1/1955; Rosa Parks Children's Museum, Montgomery, AL


Today we remember Rosa M. Parks who was arrested on December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama for her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a public bus. Her courageous act and arrest became the catalyst for the Montgomery Bus Boycott which lasted 381 days. 381 days African Americans and allies did not ride the bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

On December 21, 1956 the Montgomery Bus Boycott ended after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal lower court's ruling in Browder vs. Gayle that local and State laws segregating seats on public buses were a violation of the 14th Amendment and therefore unconstitutional. Although the lawsuit did not include Rosa Parks but six other individuals who had to give up their seats to white passengers, Parks' act on December 1, 1955 was the catalyst for the lawsuit and the subsequent boycott which would be led by a young, then somewhat unknown pastor, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today we celebrate Rosa Parks, the mother of the Civil Rights Movement and the other unnamed over 40,000 participants in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. 

For more information on Rosa Parks, go to: http://www.rosaparks.org

Stand, Speak, Be Bold!!...Voltaire

Stand upright, speak thy thoughts, declare The truth thou hast, that all may share; Be bold, proclaim it everywhere: They only live who dare.

--Voltaire 

Courage To Admit Wrong...Bruce Lee

Mistakes are always forgivable, if one has the courage to admit them.

--Bruce Lee 

Leadership Tuesdays: Changing Things For The Better...Harry S. Truman

Men [women] make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better. 

--Harry S. Truman

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY presents Leadership Tuesdays, a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today, in a video, Ms. Karen Dale talks about her leadership mantra and other values that guide her decision-making as a senior executive. She also provides advice to those who aspire to senior leadership/executive position. Check out this brief video on the WOMEN AT LIBERTY home page.

To view or read past Leadership Tuesdays' features, click here.

The Size Of A Man...Evander Holyfield

It is not the size of a man [woman], but the size of his [her]heart that matters.


--Evander Holyfield

The Type Of Courage We Need...Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

What's Important...Abraham Lincoln

“I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.” 

--Abraham Lincoln

Moral Courage So Rare...Mark Twain

It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.

~ Mark Twain