“Yes, you should go to the front of the bus!”

Posted on by Stephen Edwards

National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee

At the National Civil Rights Museum, they have a bus similar to the one that Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white man, which led to the Montgomery Alabama Bus Boycott. The exhibit highlights how the boycott operated and ultimately achieved success.

The National Civil Rights Museum includes a city bus from Montgomery. While this was not the actual bus used in the initial sit-in, it was a part of the city’s bus service that saw a significant downturn in service during the boycott.

While contemplating the exhibit around me, I took a seat on the bus, soaking in not only the history but also the chance to engage in people-watching. A young girl, approximately 9 or 10 years old, of African descent, climbed onto the bus with her mother following. The girl first ran to the back of the bus, but triumphantly shouted, “I’m going to the front of the bus!” The mother encouraged her to do so, and I agree, yes, she should go to the front of the bus.

The bus features Rosa Parks, the bus driver, and, in this case, Henry. It is easy to set and contemplate the historic sit-in that helped lead to the breakdown of segregation in the South. Reflecting on it now, it seems so silly to have people sit somewhere on a bus based on the color of their skin.

I’ve had the chance to see the actual bus on which the first sit-in occurred, as it is displayed at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan. However, what I witnessed at the Civil Rights Museum that day was just as impactful to me as the original boycott. Watching the little girl’s reaction on the bus in Memphis is a small reminder that our nation can still be “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” I hope that little girl grows into a woman who helps make a positive difference, realizing she does not have to give up her seat for anyone for any reason.

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