by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
December 1, 2024
Montgomery and Huntsville will honor the anniversary of bus boycott with museum tours and free bus rides on Rosa Parks Day.
The Alabama cities of Montgomery and Huntsville are preparing to honor the 69th anniversary of the bus boycotts on Rosa Parks Day.
According to WSFA 12, the anniversary celebrations will align with the day honoring Parks, whose actions and detainment helped spark the bus boycott in 1955. On Dec. 2, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at Holt Street Baptist Church Historical Museum, known as the meeting site where the boycott started. The museum will also host a private tour for registered guests, unveiling never-before-seen artifacts from the boycott period.
Also taking place in the state’s capital, attendees can view a reenactment of a Dr. Martin Luther King speech. The Holt Street Baptist church itself will cap off the event-filled day with an anniversary celebration, including a performance by the Montgomery Mass Choir.
In Huntsville, the city will host free rides on fixed-route buses to mark the historical occasion for the seventh year. Furthermore, the buses will have a seat reserved at the front to honor Parks, per AL.com. It will feature a cover and sash, provided by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, with Parks’ name on it to recognize her role in the 13-month boycott.
“Rosa Parks’ courage and determination launched a movement that forever changed our nation,” shared Mayor Tommy Battle in a press release. ”I encourage everyone in Huntsville to take advantage of the free rides offered by Huntsville Transit on Rosa Parks Day. This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past while also embracing the accessibility and opportunities of the present.”
The boycott was an integral part of the civil rights movement, with the Holt Street Baptist Church playing a major role as a gathering place for the protest leaders such as Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Their efforts resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court declaring the segregation of public transportation as unconstitutional.
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