QPL Commemorates Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks On The 65th Anniversary Of Her Arrest

December 1 marks the 65th anniversary of Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white passenger. Her defiance led Dr. Martin Luther King to organize a 381-day bus boycott to protest the city's segregated public transportation system. The boycott resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court ordering Montgomery to integrate its bus system. To commemorate this historic event, this coming Tuesday QPL will offer several programs dedicated to the life and accomplishments of Rosa Parks.

Highlights include an author talk titled "Rosa Parks: A Commemoration of Her Extraordinary Life with Professor Jeanne Theoharis" at 4 PM on WebEx. Theoharis, Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the City University of New York's Brooklyn College and author of the award-winning book "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks," shatters myths about the civil rights icon to reveal a lifetime freedom fighter whose activism began two decades before her historic act and continued after.

QPL will also host a conversation with sculptor Eugene Daub, creator of over 40 public monuments, who won the commission from the U.S. Congress to create the Rosa Parks statue, which was unveiled in 2013. Join us at 6 PM via WebEx as Daub discusses his ideas that led to the composition and creation of this historically significant bronze sculpture now on display in the U.S. Capitol in Statuary Hall.

In addition, children attending a Chinese Bilingual Storytime at 11 AM will learn about Rosa Parks' bravery and students participating in a 3D Design with TinkerCAD program at 3:15 PM will design a "bus for inclusiveness." At 5 PM, actress and storyteller Joy Kelly will present freedom stories and songs in honor of Rosa Parks on the QPL's Facebook Live page.

To check the complete calendar of virtual programming go here.