Sixty years ago today, Rosa Parks was arrested for the first (but not last) time.
We often tell the story of her famous arrest with so much of the story carved away that it almost ceases to be a true accounting, and sometimes we include a few outright falsehoods. Mrs. Parks was unquestionably a hero, but for better reasons than the ones we usually ascribe to her.
I thought about writing an article in honor of this anniversary. I already wrote about it, though, in a book I published last year, Worldchanging 101: Challenging the Myth of Powerlessness. So instead I’m sharing the three chapters of that book that deal most with Rosa Parks, her life and work, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and some lessons we could take away from her inspiring example — arguably, the opposite lessons than the ones we usually glean.
To download a free PDF of these chapters, click here. Feel free to distribute them as widely as you like. If you would like to get the whole book, you can do that here.
Forward together,
David
I love your book White Flour and was pleased to see a write up about it from “Teaching Tolerance” at the Southern Poverty Law Center. I live in St. Louis about 10 minutes from Ferguson, and I belong to a Quaker Meeting. If you haven’t already done so, your book would be a great addition to the offerings by Quaker Books sponsored by Friends General Conference:
Located at Pendle Hill: 338 Plush Mill Rd, Wallingford, PA 19086 | Phone: 1-800-966-4556 | +1-215-561-1700 x3044 (international)
Roberta, thank you so much for your kind words and for the contact information for FGC’s bookstore. I would be thrilled and honored for them to carry my books, and will be in touch.
Thanks again,
David