Civil Right Icon Dies

When I was an RA at Michigan State, the following poem
was a bulletin board that we could choose to put up on our
floors. It sounds a little trite to say it,but I was
always inspired by the poem. The idea that one person
can make a difference in the world is one of the guiding
philosophies of my life. For this reason, I've always
been inspired by the story of Rosa Parks.
Ninety-two years on this earth and she'll be remembered
for centuries for her role in the American Civil Rights
movement. She took what could have been just a footnote
role in history - after all, others had been arrested
before her, she was just the right one - and gained respect
of all by never making herself bigger than the issue and always
conducting herself with serenity and dignity.
She settled in my homestate of Michigan, in Detroit,
and Rosa Parks Boulevard is a main artery through the city.
What an amazing life. Rest in Peace to the grand dame
of the Civil Rights Movement.

One Person
Author Unknown.
I am only one person.
What can one person do?

Rosa Parks
Was just one person.
She said one word.
She said it on December 1, 1955.
One person
Said
One word.
She said it on a bus.
She said it to the bus driver
On the Cleveland Street bus in Montgomery.

The bus driver said,
"Stand up, nigger woman,
And give up your seat
To that white man!"
Rosa Parks,
One person,
Said one word,
The word was "No!"
One woman
Said one word
And a nation
Blushed!
One woman
Said one word
And a world
Talked!
One woman
Said one word
And a world
Talked!
One woman
Said one word
And the Supreme Court
Acted!
One woman
Said one word
And the buses were
Desegregated.
I am only one person.
What can one person do?