Attaining victory through ‘Quiet Strength’

By MARIA FRICA PANGELINAN

The following is the text of the remarks that Sen. Maria Frica Pangelinan delivered on the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday at the American Memorial Park.

Quiet Strength incorporates life skills which demonstrates dignity with pride, courage with perseverance and power with discipline, in a comfortable environment of peace

This is the philosophy of Rosa Parks, a dedicated woman of African-American ancestry, known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement in America. It is the essence of the way Rosa conducted her life.

Rosa’s smile shines in a sea of faces dedicated to the freedom and equal treatment of all peoples. In 1955 her quiet refusal triggered a landslide that changed the course of America.

I was asked to tell you today about her life and the legacy she leaves us.

In order for you to understand how important she is, how great her courage, there must be some context. Many of us are too young to remember or were born too far away to know the realities of life for persons of color in the United States of the 1950s.

Please bear with me while I take a few moments to attempt to describe the world in which Rosa lived.

Slavery was a fact of life in North America as early as the first white colonies of the 1600s.

Occasionally a person of color managed to buy their own freedom and a few were born free. Even as free people they were separated from the mainstream of society because of their race.

People of color served in the military during the War of Independence, fighting for the freedom of the American Colonies from British rule. These freed colonies became the United States of America. Slavery continued, expanding into a large and profitable industry. African people, kidnapped from their families and homes, were shipped to North America and bought by white people. America was built in large part by their labor.

The Civil War of 1861 to 1865 nearly destroyed the United States. This great conflict was originally about the rights of each state to manage its own affairs. Over the four years it lasted, ending slavery became a central issue. In 1865, at the end of the war, the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery. Each state of the defeated Confederacy was forced to ratify this Amendment as a requirement for rejoining the United States of America.

So, by the end of 1865, there were millions of white people in the United States who bore great resentment against persons of color. Some were angry because of their defeat in war, and even more because they were forced to give up ownership of their slaves. Additionally, many white people were afraid of revenge from former slaves.

The anger and frustration felt by these persons manifested itself in persecution and discrimination against of persons of color. State and local laws were made that segregated the lives of whites and persons of color.

Even in the 1950s, 90 years after the passing of the 13th Amendment, segregation was strictly enforced in many states of the former Confederacy.

Subservient behaviors the police could not enforce, vigilante groups such as the KKK would. Disappearances, beatings and lynchings of persons of color were common. There was no recourse for a black person when this abuse occurred. No white person in the Southeastern United States had ever been convicted of assault or murder of a person of color. Persons of color lived with their heads down and their voices quiet, hoping to make it to and from work safely each day, keep their jobs and protect their families.

On a brighter note, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP had been active since 1909, doing what it could to bring the unfair laws and treatment of colored people to the attention of the nation. This organization used publicity and legal battles to break down color barriers. They did not resort to violence. By 1955, Rosa Parks had been a member of this organization for over 10 years.

So, whether by statute, economics, ignorance or intimidation, segregation was still widespread in the United States in the 1950s.

This was the world in which Rosa Parks lived and worked.

This sets the stage for what she and her family faced when she decided to “sit down for her rights” on Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery Alabama, nearly the center of the most segregated region in the United States.

Rosa Parks was born in 1913. She was educated, well respected and married. She had attended the laboratory school at Alabama State College, as there was no high school for person of color in Montgomery. There were no job opportunities that allowed her to use her education, so she worked as a seamstress at a department store, and she rode the bus to and from work.

On Thursday Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded the bus to get home from work. The buses were divided into ‘white’ and ‘colored’ sections, the whites riding the front part of the bus, and ‘coloreds’ in the rear. All of the seats were full in the black section except one in the 1st row. Rosa took that seat. A few stops later, the white section filled up and one white man was left standing. The bus driver asked all the black people in the 1st row to vacate their seats. This was the law. Three of them did, Rosa did not.

Rosa was arrested, and put in jail. Her friends from the local NAACP posted her bail.

The NAACP was aware of the segregation on the buses in Montgomery, and had been waiting for an opportunity to challenge the law in court. They were looking for a person that was “above reproach”. They felt that Rosa was the proper plaintiff for such an important legal fight.

Rosa agreed to allow her case to be used to fight the legality of segregation on buses. By choosing to fight, Rosa and her family had put their jobs and even their lives in danger.

The black community leapt into action. An anonymous flier was distributed the next morning, Friday, urging blacks to not ride the buses in Montgomery on the following Monday.

Local ministers and civil rights leaders met, and from those meetings came the formation of the Montgomery Improvement Association, of which the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected president.

Dr. King delivered a message the evening of Dec. 5 in a Montgomery church. He said, “There comes a time that people get tired. We are here this evening to say to those who have mistreated us for so long, that we are tired, tired of being segregated and humiliated, tired of being kicked about by the brutal feet of oppression.” Above all, King asked the protestors to fight back without using violence.

The boycott of the buses, originally planned as a one-day protest, continued. The Montgomery Improvement Association orchestrated and coordinated the bus boycott. For 382 days the black people of Montgomery stayed off the buses, putting great pressure on the white business owners of the town.

During this time, Rosa’s case found its way through the legal system to the highest court in the land, the United States Supreme Court.

On Nov. 13, 1956, the Supreme Court upheld the Federal Court’s ruling declaring segregation on buses unconstitutional. The Montgomery Bus Boycott ended. Rosa celebrated the victory by boarding a bus and riding in the front, in a seat formerly reserved for whites.

This is a short version of the story. It was dangerous for all involved. There were death threats made against Rosa, her family and members of the black community. There was a wave of bombings; today we could call them terrorist attacks. All those arrested for these offenses were white. None were convicted, even though two of them had signed confessions.

The harassment and danger didn’t stop. Snipers shot at black riders on the buses after the boycott ended.

Because of the continuing threats Rosa and her family moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1957.

Ironically, in 1965 the City of Montgomery, Alabama renamed Cleveland Avenue. It became Rosa Parks Boulevard.

Rosa’s choice that day in 1955 was like throwing a rock in a pond. By her actions, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rose to national prominence. The nation, and the world became aware of the fight for civil rights spreading throughout the United States. The fight for civil rights gained real momentum.

In 1960 non-violent sit-ins in North Carolina led to desegregation in stores.

In 1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act.

In 1965 the Voting Rights Act became law.

The Civil Rights movement was now in full swing. As it spread, segregation laws were repealed all across the country.

Rosa passed away in October of 2005. The nation awarded her one final honor. Her casket was placed in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., allowing the nation to pay its respects.

She is the first woman in American history to lie in state at the Capitol, an honor usually reserved for presidents of the United States.

We can all look to Rosa as an example of how to preserve and attain our goals in the face of prejudice and discrimination. She certainly has earned the title “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”.

Is the fight for equal treatment for all peoples over? No.

Although today we do not face the blatant discrimination that Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King did, there is a silent discrimination that is still with us.

Many think of today as a holiday just for African Americans. Although Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King fought for freedom as African Americans, they fought for all Americans. We cannot afford to forget their struggle, for it is our struggle as well.

Today is a commemoration for all races of people including whites, Chamorros, Carolinians, Koreans, Filipinos, Chinese, Japanese, and all ethnic groups. The principles and rights that were won by Rosa’s fight are universal rights that all of mankind has benefited from.

The CNMI is rich in diversity. We are a melting pot of different cultures and peoples. This a blessing, and an opportunity to learn, sharing and growing together. Unfortunately, every race in the CNMI has experienced some type of discrimination from other races on the islands, even among themselves. We have been made to feel inferior due to our race, shade of our skin, gender, national origin, or religious beliefs.

Although we do not face the monumental task of changing national laws, we face the challenge of changing our views. We must learn from Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King and teach our children to respect and value the ethnic differences that make our Commonwealth so unique.

We must remain vigilant. Until the color of our skin, our nationality, the place of our birth, the church we go to, or our gender is no longer a barrier to achievement, the fight for civil rights is not over.

We can look to Rosa Parks as an example of how we can continue to achieve victory over discrimination, with Quiet Strength.

Martin Luther King Day is a U.S. holiday and Federal offices in the CNMI are closed. This day is not an official holiday of the CNMI. The quality of our lives has benefited from the work of this peaceful warrior. He deserves our respect and recognition. I will continue to raise this issue with my colleagues in the Legislature and work to make Martin Luther King Day an official holiday in the CNMI.

Thank you again for your time and attention.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In 1987 Rosa co-founded the Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute, a non-profit organization who’s mission is to encourage youth to achieve their highest potential. As a testament to Rosa’s fine character, the Institute is open to all youth, irrespective of race.
To learn more about the Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute, you may explore their website at rosaparks.org or phone them at (313) 965-0606 in Detroit, Michigan.

(Maria Frica Pangelinan is a senator in the 15th Legislature.)