Last week, the city of Memphis celebrated its roots in the Civil Rights Movement and paid homage to those who have advanced the human right to freedom.
Memphis Area Transit Authority buses remembered Rosa Parks by setting aside a seat for her on all buses.
On Wednesday, the day of Parks' funeral, MATA designated the first two seats on each bus and cordoned them off with a black ribbon and a flyer that read, "This seat reserved for Rosa Parks."
"I thought it was a touching way to remember what she did for us," said Tasha Simms, a MATA bus rider. "It was nice to see people honoring her by sacrificing the seats."
And sacrifice they did. On one bus, the 50 Poplar, people filled the aisles because of overcrowding, but Rosa's seats were empty.
"I was surprised to see the respect people gave by letting the seat remain empty while they stood," said MATA bus driver Carl Smith. "It was a small sacrifice compared to the ones made by blacks back then."
MATA distributed a flyer explaining the sacrifice. Not only did blacks have to ride in the back and give up their seats to whites, according to the flyer, after paying the fare, blacks would have to get off the bus and enter through the back entrance. Sometimes the driver would pull off before they had a chance to re-board.
The National Civil Rights Museum paid homage to four present-day freedom seekers the day after by presenting them with Freedom Awards. The awards were established in 1991 to pay tribute to individuals whose accomplishments depict the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement," according to the museum's Web site, civilrightsmuseum.org.
Many in the city felt the awards came at the right time.
"God had the mother of the Civil Rights Movement to pass away at that time," said David Acey, assistant professor with The U of M African-American studies department. "It all came together in line with Martin Luther King's dream."
Media icon Oprah Winfrey received the $25,000 National Freedom Award, Rwandan hero Paul Rusesabagina received the $50,000 International Freedom Award, and actors-activists Ruby Dee and her late husband Ossie Davis received the first $25,000 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The presentation of the awards was 8 p.m. Thursday at the Cannon Center, much to the delight of Memphians who were excited about seeing the celebrity guests in person. Featured speakers included Academy Award-nominated actress Angela Bassett, who emceed the event and Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of R&B diva Diana Ross and star of the FOX hit "Girlfriends."
"The three recipients have been champions of freedom," Acey said. "[The events of last week] are a great challenge for this generation to continue the efforts of those who've gone on and those still here."
