I Am Rosa Parks - Read Along w/ Words on Screen

[Music] Rosa Parks always stood up for herself even as a child it was a time in America when laws weren't fair to black people but Rosa knew that everyone deserved the same respect and rights I am Rosa Parks written by Brad Meltzer illustrated by Christopher Elia Poulos [Music] I am Rosa Park growing up I was small for my age I was sick a lot too since we didn't have money for a doctor I'm not that short looks like you are but that didn't mean I was weak when I was 11 as I was walking home from school a boy on rollerskates came zipping by and shoved me he thought I'd be an easy target to his surprise I turned around and pushed him back I knew fighting was wrong but I didn't want him picking on me again his mother saw what happened she was mad I pushed him but you know what made her even matter I was black and her son was white she immediately started yelling no question it was scary but my mother and grandfather taught me to respect myself and to expect respect from others so instead of backing down I stood my ground and calmly but firmly I explained your son was the one who pushed me I didn't bother him it off I wasn't just standing up to that mom or even to the boy on rollerskates I was standing up for myself after that the boy and his mom never bothered me again still it's hard to change things sometimes it can take a long time back then if you were black you were treated unfairly just because of the color of your skin you weren't allowed to live in the same neighborhood as a white person eat in the same restaurant ride the same elevator or use the same bathroom you couldn't even drink from the same water fountain one was marked for whites the other for colored when I was little I used to wonder if white water tasted different from colored water I even wondered if colored water came in lots of colors but it didn't the only difference was I had to walk outside or even down the block to get mine [Music] of course it wasn't just about water fountains this was my school a small old wooden building with one room and one teacher for all of us everyone from the five year olds to the sixth graders were stuffed in that one room there were no one knows Dusk's and barely any books since most kids had to work on a farm to earn money we only went to school five months during the year let's cool hooray don't say hooray that's we also brought our books home every night why because we were worried that folks who hated the color of our skin would burn down our school now here's the school for the kids who were white notice the difference it was a new brick building with beautiful windows new desks and plenty of books plus a playground they went to school nine months out of the year since they weren't working in the fields like we were now we can say her right no there's no hurry about this also if you were black you had to walk to school if you were white you got to take a bus the worst part was when I'd walk home with my brother the kids on the bus would throw trash at us it made me feel horrible but there were no civil rights back then the only solution was to move off the road and really what kind of solution is that as I got older things didn't change much one winter I was waiting for the local city bus if you were black you had to ride in the back if you were white you rode up front on that day the back of the bus was packed but there were plenty of seats in the front I was just trying to find a place to sit but as I entered through the front door of the bus I tried to explain that there was no room to get in through the back what do you think you're doing you need to get off and use the back door only White's can come into flame already Oh the driver didn't care you wanted me off the bus you grabbed me by my coat sleeve I dropped my purse near the front door to pick it up i sat in the front seat a white seat it made the driver madder than ever fancy you get out of my bed that's what he called it my bus as if it were his the bus wasn't his though it belonged to all of us [Music] still that afternoon the driver got his way he kicked me on see you soon yes you will [Music] but I promise you that wasn't the last time I faced that bus driver from there in addition to working as a seamstress I started working to change things tell me what happened next at the NAACP we fought for fairer laws and made sure that people's stories were heard I also stopped using colored water fountains I'd rather go thirsty than be treated so poorly it was the same with separate elevators instead of riding them I take the stairs Thanks but as for real change even I didn't know what was coming it was the end of a busy Thursday I was 42 years old and on the bus going home this time I was sitting in the first row of seats that were allowed for black people there was one man next to me and two women across from me it was the same driver from before the exact same one from all those years earlier at the third stop a few white people got on filling the rest of the empty seats there was one white person left standing so the driver told those of us in my row let me have those front seats at first none of us moved but when he asked again y'all better make it lay down yourselves and let me have those seats the other three people got up I stayed right where I was sliding over to the window I thought about what he was demanding he wanted to take my seat away had it he wanted to give it to that man and why because I was black and the man was white I knew what the rules said but I also knew in my heart that's not how you treat people doubt a doubt the driver was man but I never lost my cool never raised my voice oh yeah well I'm gonna have you arrested you may go on and do some people say that the reason I refuse to give up my seat was because I was tired and I was but it wasn't the kind of tire that came from aching feet the only tired I was was tired of giving in before me there were other brave women who had refused to give up their seats still on that day for violating the rules of Montgomery Alabama I got arrested but by standing up for myself I ignited a movement from there the Montgomery bus boycott began for 381 days that's well over a year all blacks in the city and even a few whites refused to ride the public buses but if you don't use the buses will go out of business and maybe you should think about changing your rules [Music] finally the rules were changed public buses were no longer allowed to separate people based on the color of their skin that was only the beginning [Music] eventually we were allowed to drink from the same water fountains ride the same elevators and yes go to the same schools in the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson wrote that were all created equal finally the nation was starting to act like him now can we say hooray soon we're closed of course that didn't mean the fight was over there were thousands of other people just like that bus driver but after hearing how I didn't give up my seat there were now thousands more people just like me together inspired and committed to justice my name is Martin want to hear a rough draft of my speech in my life people tried to knock me down try to make me feel less than I was they tease me for being small being black being different let me be clear no one should be able to do that but if they try you must stand strong stand for what's right stand up for yourself even cut means sitting down when you do others will follow what's the middle it's the Congressional Gold Medal one of the government's highest honors George Washington got one too cool now can I say you're right go free hooray I am Rosa Parks I'm not a politician or a president or an actor or a famous business owner I'm just an ordinary person but I'm also proof that there's no such thing as an ordinary person I hope you'll always stand up for yourself and I hope you'll remember that we're all in this together [Music] [Music]

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Views: 657,455

Rating: 4.6539202 out of 5

Keywords: Civil Rights, Montgommery Bus Boycott, segregation, separate bu equal, home school, martin luther king, alabama, my first biography

Id: DcJMEDR-87w

Length: 14min 51sec (891 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 15 2017