On Dec. 1, 1955, Parks was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. What followed was a months-long boycott in Montgomery that led to the desegregation of public transit nationwide.
State Representative Toni Rose, a Dallas Democrat, authored the bill to mark Dec. 1 as Rosa Parks Day in Texas.
“Rosa Parks Day allows us and future generations to remember our progress as a nation and continue the movement towards freedom for all Americans,” Rose said in a statement.
Gordon Shattles with DART says the agency supported the legislation and will continue to honor Parks’ legacy.
“Each year, we will do more to highlight what she meant to our country, what she meant to Americans and we look forward to doing this one for many more years to come," Shattles said.
Each designated DART seat will hold a placard with an image of a statue at Rosa Parks Plaza in downtown Dallas, as well as information about Parks’ legacy.
Watch DART’s Board of Directors discuss the significance of the memorial here:
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