Rosa Parks died on Oct. 24 at the age of 92. Parks laid in state in the Capitol's rotunda Monday, the first ever woman to lay in state and only the second African American. Her story of a woman standing up for her beliefs and peaceably making a statement about civil rights of African Americans has touched many.
The UConn community paid its respects to Parks on Nov. 2 with a simple gesture - an empty bus seat.
An e-mail was sent out to all students from Janet Freniere, manager of Transportation Services, increasing awareness of Parks' passing and declaring that "In honor of Ms. Rosa Parks, one front seat on each UConn shuttle bus will remain empty on Wednesday, Nov. 2, for the entire day."
The reserved seats exhibited a small sign, saying simply, "In memory of Ms. Rosa Parks."
There were mixed opinions about this small act of veneration from students. Many seemed to like the idea, and found it very fitting, regarding the circumstances of Parks' arrest in 1955.
"I think it serves its purpose as a memorial to her," said Carolyn Morway, a 1st-semester English major.
However, some students found this act to be too small and insignificant, almost insultingly so.
"Am I to assume that in order to honor a woman who refused to sit at the back of the bus we will all sit one seat closer to the back of the bus? ... I would think that for a woman of her integrity, the people planning such an event could come up with something a bit more meaningful," said Alexandre Priou, a 9th-semester political science major said. "I think the symbolism contained in the leaving of a seat open is noteworthy, but in the end a lazy effort on the part of those in charge of putting something together."
Parks was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus in Montgomery, Ala. Her arrest prompted a 381-day boycott on the city bus system headed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., according to the Hartford Courant. Parks and her family were then forced to move to Michigan after receiving threats, and facing much difficulty in finding work.
Parks' act of civil disobedience prompted the 1956 Supreme Court ruling that segregation on city buses was unconstitutional, in turn causing an outbreak of civil rights movements regarding segregation in other public places.
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