Texas African American Museum's executive director Gloria Washington.

It was a typical evening on Dec. 1, 1955 when Rosa Parks boarded the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, after a long day working as a department store seamstress. Parks sat in the fifth row, where people of color were permitted to sit; however, in accordance with the segregation laws in Alabama at that time, if the ‘white section’ was filled up, they could take over the row that people of color sat.

When she was asked by the driver to move to let a white person sit in the seat, she had simple response that still holds power today — “no.”

“I think just in that moment she made a decision, a conscious decision not to give up her seat,” said Denise Pendleton, a volunteer coordinator for the Texas African American Museum in Tyler and secretary for the Texas African American Advisory Board. “I think that she just was tired of the situation and just basically said, ‘I’m going to take it into my own hands and make a stand.’”

Parks wrote in her autobiography that “people always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” according to the History Channel.

After refusing to move, Parks was arrested then spent two hours in jail.

Thus, a revolution began and the civil rights movement was a continued history in the making with the NAACP and the rest of the country behind her.

“It wasn’t just her alone, she was representing a larger group,” Pendleton said. “I’m grateful to them because we had gone years after the proclamation that freed us as slaves right into another era of Jim Crow and of ‘separate but equal.’”

According to the History Channel, Parks’ actions inspired the leaders of the local Black community to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Led by a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “the boycott lasted more than a year — during which Parks not coincidentally lost her job — and ended only when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional. Over the next half-century, Parks became a nationally recognized symbol of dignity and strength in the struggle to end entrenched racial segregation,” according to history.com.

In 2021, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3481, recognizing Dec. 1 as Rosa Parks Day in the state, and the Texas African American Museum in Tyler celebrated the day on Friday.

“Today is in recognition of Rosa Parks Day here at the Texas African American Museum,” said Gloria Washington, executive director of Texas African American Museum. “We are proud and happy to recognize this great day and celebrate a woman who simply said ‘no.’”

For Bullard resident Charlotte Adams-Graves, it was a flashback from when she lived in Waco around the same time as the segregation laws.

“I just remember the time where I did have to sit on the back of the back row of the bus, go across the line,” Adams-Graves said. “I was kind of nervous because I had to follow my mom and dad’s lead on where we had to go and sit. I was little and I didn’t understand why we had to go in the back.”

For many East Texans of color, the fight against injustice and discrimination is still very much alive today; however, they also believe there has been progress and strides made.

“I’m sure (Parks) would be well pleased with the organization carrying on her legacy portraying what she did to make life better,” Washington said. “I’m sure she would give a big thank you.”

Ahead of the program, students from Three Lakes Middle School, Tyler Legacy and Caldwell Arts Academy wrote essays about Rosa Parks. Of those essays, there were four different winners, including one winner from Tyler Legacy, one from Caldwell Arts Academy and two from Three Lakes Middle School.

Those winners will receive a monetary award and a certificate.

Attendees also had the opportunity to sit in a bus with “Rosa Parks” and the “bus driver” — portrayed by actors.

“I think taking a page from that history and looking at women of color who are brave enough to stand up and do what needs to be done,” Pendleton said. “If we band together, we can make a lot of changes and it doesn’t have to be the president of this or the official elected officer. Everyday people make changes.”

The Texas African American Museum is looking for volunteers as well as donations to support the museum, which displays a myriad of artifacts honoring African American history and hosts a number of local events to educate and support the community. To learn more on how to get involved, visit the museum located 309 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Tyler or call at 903-283-6089.