I See The Energy Of Young People

I Want To Be Treated Like A Human Being.

When People Made Up Their Minds That They Wanted To Be Free And Took Action, Then There Was A Change.

I Did Not Want To Be Mistreated, I Did Not Want To Be Deprived Of A Seat That I Had Paid For. It Was Just Time… There Was Opportunity For Me To Take A Stand To Express The Way I Felt About Being Treated In That Manner. I Had Not Planned To Get Arrested. I Had Plenty To Do Without Having To End Up In Jail. But When I Had To Face That Decision, I Didn't Hesitate To Do So Because I Felt That We Had Endured That Too Long. The More We Gave In, The More We Complied With That Kind Of Treatment, The More Oppressive It Became.

People Have Said Over The Years That The Reason I Did Not Give Up My Seat Was Because I Was Tired. I Did Not Think Of Being Physically Tired. My Feet Were Not Hurting. I Was Tired In A Different Way. I Was Tired Of Seeing So Many Men Treated As Boys And Not Called By Their Proper Names Or Titles. I Was Tired Of Seeing Children And Women Mistreated And Disrespected Because Of The Color Of Their Skin. I Was Tired Of Jim Crow Laws, Of Legally Enforced Racial Segregation.

There Is Work To Do; That Is Why I Cannot Stop Or Sit Still. As Long As A Child Needs Help, As Long As People Are Not Free, There Will Be Work To Do. As Long As An Elderly Person Is Attacked Or In Need Of Support, There Is Work To Do. As Long As We Have Bigotry And Crime, We Have Work To Do.