Reflection #2

My favorite reading this course was The Montgomery Boycott and the Women who started it, telling the story of Mrs. Jo Ann Robinson.  I had little knowledge of this event, only really knowing the role of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat.  I was unaware that a boycott was installed and what this boycott stood for for the African American community in Montgomery, Alabama.  I am thankful that after many years of searching for someone to publish her manuscript, Mrs. Robinson finally found someone to complete the task and tell her story.  It does not surprise me in the least bit that for so many years no one was willing to listen to her story, for the 'we' of America did not wish to discuss the topic of African American power.  

Her manuscript focused on the relationship between black activists and white leaders following Rosa Parks arrest.  She discusses how she organized and facilitated the events leading up to the boycott, working diligently sending out flyers and plotting the right time to begin a huge change among African American lives in this part of the south.  After 13 months of boycotting the bus system, the buses were finally desegregated, and the African Americans had won over justice.  

A quote by Mrs. Robinson that especially stood out in my mind was her words in regards to the way African Americans felt saying they would, "suffer for the sake of peace."  It is still beyond me that our country treated people so wrongly and inhuman.  Many African Americans kept questioning when they could stop suffering and what it would take to do so.  Finally, their collaborative movement brought the onset of less suffering, for they were standing up for themselves and fighting back.  

This piece touched me because it revealed how powerful people can be when they fight hard and are passionate about their cause.  Furthermore, this boycott was led by women, showing their strength and power in a world that sought hard to suppress them.  Mrs. Robinson is an inspiration to me and I am glad I was exposed to her story.