A tribute to Rosa Parks

We, the people of the world, and particularly non-white immigrants from around the world salute you to express our deeply felt gratitude for your courage in becoming a catalyst in removal of the evil Apartheid practice from the United States.  Dear Rosa, we thank you from the depth of our hearts.

Today is her anniversary, she passed away 9 years ago today in Detroit, Michigan, leaving a rich legacy of service to humanity.  Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the United States Congress called "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement".  

Had it not been for her defiant civil disobedience by courageously sitting in the bus despite the orders to get up from the seat where only white people can sit, and had it not been for the follow up by MLK, the Civil rights act would not have been a reality, and perhaps none of the non-white immigrants would have made it to the United States. You are one of the reasons I am here today in these United States.

In Dallas, there were no more than 5 Pakistani and 10 Indian families prior to the passage of Civil rights act in 1964, then a wave of immigrants came, knowing that they don’t have to drink the water from a different fountain; don’t have to sit in the back of the bus, or cannot eat in a restaurant and forget all other privileges we enjoy today because of her bold step.

I just Googled “Rosa Parks Mike Ghouse” and to my delight, I found 4,710 entries, and felt good that I have expressed my gratitude adequately.  Thank you Rosa, I would not have come to the United States without the Civil rights act and I will do my share of work in making America a great nation on the earth.

On May 1, 2010, I paid my tribute to Rosa Parks to a group of 8000 people at the Immigration Rally in Down Town Dallas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrjU0KULv-Y

We, at the Foundation for Pluralism paid our tribute to Rosa Parks at the 9^th Annual Thanksgiving Celebrations at Embassy Suites Hotel in Frisco in November 2005; she had passed away on October 24 the same year.  Narration of Thanksgiving was given by Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk, and Tribute to Rosa Parks was read by Cheryl Smith and the tribute to MLK was offered by Anne Marie Weiss and the plaque was presented to Rev. Perry Crenshaw by TV Host Ester Davis. Julie Ann Turner and Najma Ghouse were the other MC’s of the program and I delivered the Key note address “the Community is a bus.” http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/TG2005_REPORT.asp

 

On December 7, 2013, another mention of Rosa Parks in “A Muslim’s Prayer for Nelson Mandela” - http://therecoveringpolitician.com/rp-nation/mike-ghouse-a-muslims-prayer-for-nelson-mandela

 If you are in Dallas, we are holding the 16^th Annual Thanksgiving event on Saturday, November 22, and I am pleased to invite you to join us – details at: www.ThanksgivingCelebrations.org  

The following information is from Wikipedia.

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the United States Congress called "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement".^[1] Her birthday, February 4, and the day she was arrested, December 1, have both become Rosa Parks Day, commemorated in both California and Ohio.

On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks refused to obey bus driver James F. Blake's order that she give up her seat in the colored section to a white passenger, after the white section was filled. Parks was not the first person to resist bus segregation. Others had taken similar steps, including Irene Morgan in 1946, Sarah Louise Keys in 1955, and the members of the Browder v. Gayle lawsuit (Claudette Colvin, Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, and Mary Louise Smith) who were arrested in Montgomery months before Parks. NAACP organizers believed that Parks was the best candidate for seeing through a court challenge after her arrest for civil disobedience in violating Alabama segregation laws, although eventually her case became bogged down in the state courts while the Browder v. Gayle case succeeded.



Parks' act of defiance and the Montgomery Bus Boycott became important symbols of the modern Civil Rights Movement. She became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. She organized and collaborated with civil rights leaders, including Edgar Nixon, president of the local chapter of the NAACP; and Martin Luther King, Jr., a new minister in town who gained national prominence in the civil rights movement.
At the time, Parks was secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP. She had recently attended the Highlander Folk School, a Tennessee center for training activists for workers' rights and racial equality. She acted as a private citizen "tired of giving in". Although widely honored in later years, she also suffered for her act; she was fired from her job as a seamstress in a local department store.
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Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, thinker, writer and a commentator on Pluralism at work place, politics, religion, society, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, food and foreign policy. He is commentator on Fox News and syndicated Talk Radio shows and a writer at major news papers including Dallas Morning News and Huffington Post.  All about him is listed in several links at www.MikeGhouse.net and his writings are at www.TheGhousediary.com and 10 other blogs. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.

Congratulations to Native Americans of Texas - The American Indian Heritage Day

Congratulations to the Native Americans of Texas. Finally, the Native Americans of Texas have a day to celebrate their heritage. Thanks to Peggy Larney and the dedicated volunteers to make this happen. The bill was enacted and signed by the Governor on April 3, 2013. Thus September 27 was proclaimed as the American Indian Heritage Day to be observed from here forward every year.

Several people were acknowledged for the work in the ceremonies held today at the Lone Star Park including Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk, Coke Buchanan, Constance Hargrave and myself. It is a joy to see this day.

Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk and Coke Buchanan of the Memnosyne Foundation have done tremendous work with Native Americans, not only in the United States, but also in Mexico including establishing a medicine garden for the Mayan Indians to continue their medicine tradition to cure the Native Americans. I salute the foundation for taking this up. Thank you Mary Ann.

On February 27, this year, I was to give my testimony in the state Capital, and I could not make it due to my health, however, it was submitted to Peggy Larney to read it for me.

As an American committed to building a cohesive America, where every American feels an integral part of the society, with no apprehension, discomfort or fear the other, it is my duty to support the H.B. No. 174, a bill to create the Native American Heritage day.

Every community, nation and the tribe has a day dedicated to honor that community. It is a day, on which the community comes together and celebrates it with fellow members of the society at large, it builds a sense of community and a sense of belonging and is a source of self esteem and recognition.

We are God’s own country; we are blessed with every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. We see God as one, none and many and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names. We are committed to preserve this pluralistic heritage of America.

As Texans, it is our duty to uplift each other, so together we have a peaceful cohesive society where we are no strangers exist. If we can learn to respect the otherness of others and accept the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

This day, the Native American Heritage day is long overdue, with great humility we need to approve this bill and celebrate the heritage of fellow Native American Texans.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day - More about Mike at www.MikeGhouse.net