MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama inched closer to setting aside a day to honor civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
An Alabama Senate committee on Tuesday approved legislation to name Dec. 1 as Rosa Parks Day. The bill was sponsored in both chambers by both Rep. Laura Hall and Sen. Vivian Figures.
Parks was arrested Dec. 1, 1955 in Montgomery for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man. Her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a key event in the civil rights movement.
Currently, California and Missouri celebrate Rosa Parks Day on her birthday, Feb. 4. Ohio and Oregon celebrate a holiday in Parks’ honor on Dec. 1, the date she was arrested.
Supporters began the push this year to get a day named for Parks.
However, the proposed day would not be a full-fledged state holiday where state offices close. Supporters have said they wanted to avoid getting bogged down in debate about the cost of closing state offices.
Alabama has three state holidays honoring Confederate figures.
Be the first to comment