Terry;

Rosa Parks stood up for herself as the social custom in the South was that all blacks (negros in those days) had to sit at the back of the bus behind a painted line. The emphasis given by the media was that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. To me the social code (segregation) was the primary topic and missed by the media. The reason Rosa Parks did not give up her seat was she was sitting at the front of the bus, which was not allowed!

Being from San Francisco I was accustomed to having friends of all flavors. We went to school together, and socialized. Everyone was equal and no thought was given to segregation from anyone I knew. When the Air Force sent me to San Antonio, Texas, I began to better understand the United States. That was 1960 and I saw first hand things I was not aware of. I have more than memories – I have experiences!

Tom

>What a splendid woman this was, and what natural serene beauty.
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>But Americans seem to be confused as to what she did for the civil rights movement. I watched about her on the TV last week, and heard how she'd refused to give up her seat to a white.
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>Yet EVERY American interviewed said that she was the "first to stand up".
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>I'm confused. I thought it was the opposite.