On the anniversary of her historic arrest, Democratic Representative Cori Bush of Missouri—a member of the “Squad”—found herself the target of online criticism over the weekend for remarks that made reference to the iconic Rosa Parks.
Bush tweeted a quotation from Rosa Parks on Friday, reflecting on Parks’s infamous refusal to give up her bus seat on December 1, 1955, which sparked the Civil Rights movement. People often claim that I didn’t volunteer for the seat swap because I was exhausted, but that’s not the case… No, I was only exhausted from finally giving in. “Additionally, 68 years ago, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus,” Bush said, adding her own perspective. In our struggle for freedom, we must not give up.
A number of people, however, took issue with the remarks, citing the many ways in which modern America differs from the America of the 1950s. Others thought Bush would be better served by focusing on more immediate concerns that impact all of her people, while still others questioned the precise rights she believed were being denied. “Respectfully, you are no Rosa Parks,” one responder said, while another called Bush’s remarks “quality gibberish.” No formal statement has been issued as of yet, but Fox News Digital has contacted Bush’s office in hopes of receiving a reaction.
The 42-year-old African-American seamstress and community activist Rosa Parks stood her own in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955, by refusing to give up her bus seat to a White passenger. At the time, a Montgomery rule required Black bus riders to sit in the rear and give up their seats to White passengers if the front seats were taken. Parks was arrested for her silent but brave act of rebellion; she was later released on a $100 bond. Rewriting American history, the massive attention and action that followed Parks’ lone protest were important. The segregationist policies of Montgomery were deemed illegal by the United States Supreme Court on November 13, 1956.