Metro is setting aside one seat on every bus in its 1,500-vehicle fleet to honor Rosa Parks on the 68th anniversary of her famous act of civil disobedience.
Metro is placing signs reading “Rosa Parks Day: Today this seat is reserved to honor Rosa Parks” on one seat in every bus.
“Today we honor the life and legacy of Rosa Parks, who stood fast in the face of injustice and changed the course of history,” said Metro Chief Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Officer Darlene Slaughter in a news release. “We ask customers to join us in celebrating her legacy through this small gesture to recognize her enormous contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.”
Parks was arrested Dec. 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, after refusing to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man, an act that later sparked the 380-day Montgomery bus boycott.
Related: ‘This is personal’ — former WTOP reporter’s memoir recounts family’s role in Montgomery bus boycott
This is the second year Metro has placed the signs on bus seats.
In addition, Metro displayed its 1957 Rosa Park Metrobus at Fort Totten Metro station.
The outside of the bus reads, “It All Started on a Bus; Rosa Parks; 1913-2005; The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”
It’s Rosa Parks Day! This morning until 10 am, join us at Fort Totten Station to honor her legacy with The Rosa Parks Bus.
Bonus: Every bus in our fleet proudly features a reserved seat in her honor. Be a part of this meaningful tribute. #wmata #RosaParksDay pic.twitter.com/Z3u2pLFlCL
— Metro Forward (@wmata) December 1, 2023
The Parks-inspired Metrobus first debuted in 2005.
