Enough was Enough
Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks often spoke of her upbringing with the Bible and how its words of comfort and courage guided her in adulthood. Does the Bible inspire you to be courageous in your life?
Rosa Parks was considered “the mother of the civil rights movement." As an activist, she was best known for her refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. Her defiance inspired the peaceful Montgomery bus boycott. She often spoke of her upbringing with the Bible and how its words of comfort and courage continued to guide her in adulthood. Like many others in the civil rights struggle, she described her actions in biblical terms.
“Many people cannot relate to the feelings of frustration that we, as black people, felt in the 1950s. We were born and raised in America but were treated as second-class citizens. For many years, black people accepted the treatment. I always felt it was unjust. But because we went along with it then, did not mean that we would no longer tolerate it. It came a time when we just had to say enough was enough. It was a long time coming, but finally, as a group, we demanded, ‘Let my people go.’ (Exodus 9:1)."
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“When we stood, we stood for all of the oppressed people who came before us and for generations to come. I was fortunate. God provided me with the strength I needed at the precise time when conditions were ripe for change. I am thankful to Him every day that He gave me the strength not to move. Not only did the civil rights movement help our people, but it set a model for people fighting for freedom around the world.”
What beliefs or experiences positioned Rosa Parks to be able to draw strength from God and respond peaceably in the face of hate? Do you have a similar source?
