Racism Is Still With Us. But It

I Knew Someone Had To Take The First Step. So I Made Up My Mind Not To Move.

I Want To Be Treated Like A Human Being.

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.

We Didn't Have Any Civil Rights. It Was Just A Matter Of Survival, Of Existing From One Day To The Next. I Remember Going To Sleep As A Girl Hearing The Klan Ride At Night And Hearing A Lynching And Being Afraid The House Would Burn Down.

My Resisting Being Mistreated On The Bus Did Not Begin With That Particular Arrest…i Did A Lot Of Walking In Montgomery.