Rosa Parks - The Woman Who Changed a Nation | Teen Ink

Rosa Parks - The Woman Who Changed a Nation

July 26, 2010
By AliceDean GOLD, Skopje, Other
AliceDean GOLD, Skopje, Other
11 articles 10 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
The happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;One of the things that distinguishes man from the other animals is that he wants to know things, wants to find out what reality is like, simply for the sake of knowing. When that desire is completely quenched in anyone, I think he has become something less than human.&#039; &mdash; C.S. Lewis<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Wit beyond measure is man&#039;s greatest treasure.&#039; &mdash; Rowena Ravenclaw<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Every story has an end, but in life every end is just a new beginning.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really Great make you feel that you, too, can become great.&rsquo; &mdash; Mark Twain<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.&rsquo; &mdash; Plato<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;I am only one, but I still am one. I cannot do everything, but I still can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.&rsquo; &mdash; Edward Everett Hale<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;You are no bigger than the things that annoy you.&rsquo; &mdash; Jerry Bundsen<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Cats are smarter than dogs. You can&rsquo;t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.&rsquo; &mdash; Jeff Valdez<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What gets us into trouble is not what we don&#039;t know. It&#039;s what we know for sure that just ain&#039;t so.&#039; &mdash; Mark Twain<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.&#039; &mdash; Benjamin Franklin<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What is essential is invisible to the eye.&#039; &mdash; Antoine de Saint-Exup&eacute;ry in &quot;The Little Prince&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;If you&#039;re holding out for universal popularity, you&#039;ll be waiting a long time.&#039; &mdash; Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I have balls of yarn.&#039; - Monika Spancheska<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Well, it [the news] changes every day, you see.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You can&#039;t give a Dementor the old one-two!&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And they&#039;d [the Death Eaters] love to have me. We&#039;d be best pals if they didn&#039;t keep trying to do me in.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;There&#039;s no need to call me sir Professor.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;A Study of Hogwarts Prefects and Their Later Careers... That sounds fascinating...&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I want to fix that in my memory forever. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret...&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Because that&#039;s what Hermione does. When in doubt, go to the library. - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Can I have a look at Uranus, too, Lavender?&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;...from now on, I don&#039;t care if my tea leaves spell &#039;die, Ron, die,&#039; I&#039;m chucking them in the bin where they belong.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Percy wouldn&#039;t recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby&#039;s tea cozy.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And what in the name of Merlin&rsquo;s most baggy Y Fronts was that about?&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Well, I don&#039;t know how to break this to you, but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Just because you&#039;ve got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn&#039;t mean we all have.&#039; - Hermione Granger<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Grawp&#039;s about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me as Hermy.&#039; - Hermione Granger<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I do love knitting patterns.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And now Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I would assume that you were going to offer me refreshment, but the evidence so far suggests that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Time is making fools of us again.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It&rsquo;s the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Of course, any time the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned.- Sirius Black<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure.&#039; - Severus Snape<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Ah, of course. There is no need to tell me any more, Ms. Granger. Which one of you will be dying this year?&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Really, what has got into you all today? Not that it matters, but that&#039;s the first time my transformation&#039;s not got applause from a class&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;We teachers are rather good at magic, you know.&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I wouldn&#039;t go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid.&#039; - Lily Evans<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts...but you cannot deny he&#039;s got style...&#039; - Phineas Nigellus<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I&#039;ll join you when hell freezes over.&#039; - Neville Longbotom


Who would think that a woman from a small town in Alabama would change the way African Americans are perceived? Rosa Louise McCauley Parks never thought that by refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, she would start a nation-wide movement for promoting the rights of black people. When she was arrested on December 1, 1955, African Americans decided it was time to do something about the racial segregation that was so well integrated into the everyday society. Thus, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began—thousands of people refused to take the bus and walked to show their support for what Rosa Parks did. But what really made Parks decide to stand up to the law? In many books and interviews, she discussed numerous reasons why she did what she did, but she always stressed out a few that were the most important to her.
Parks talked a lot about her mother and grandmother in many interviews; she explained why they inspired her all throughout her life. Her grandmother faced more difficulties than Parks ever did—slaves were just freed then, and were still considered servants by many. Parks told reporters how her grandmother had to work on a plantation as a child and how grueling her job was. Parks’ parents were not the perfect example of a happily married couple—they split when Parks was a child. She stayed with her mother, who was a teacher, which motivated Parks to finish her schooling. These strong women taught Parks to never be afraid of anything, to always do the right thing. She stated that when she refused to give up her seat, she was not afraid; instead, she thought of the many people before her who had to suffer from similar humiliating situations, and of the ways her mother and grandmother taught her. That is what gave her strength to face the unknown.

Ever since she was a little girl, Parks was a faithful member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Her family members taught her that whenever in doubt, Parks should read the Bible, for it holds all the answers needed. So, at that fateful moment of her life, Parks thought of the almighty Lord and prayed that justice will prevail. She knew what happened to people who disobeyed the law, especially African Americans; nevertheless, she had faith that God will keep her safe and help her out of her problems.

More than anything, Parks stressed out that the main reason she refused to get up is that she was tired. She was tired of social injustice, of how she and her fellow African Americans were treated just because of the color of their skin. She hated prejudices, and rarely judged people. In one of her books, she speaks of an incident when her house was broken into and the robber forced Parks to give him all her money. Even then, as she says, she tried not to judge the person, because she did not know what he had been through, and how much he needed her money and what for. She just wanted all Americans to be treated the same, in all aspects of life. Parks knew that what she did would not change the way people saw black people all over the world, but she hoped at least someone will understand her message.

When she got on the bus on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks never knew that what was about to happen would change the American nation forever. For what she did, many consider her to be the “mother of modern-day civil rights movement.” Her courageous act is believed to have launched the civil rights movement. Starting from the law about racial segregation on buses, many other laws followed suit and were changed. Today, the United States of America is still affected by racism, but it has been enormously reduced in the past fifty years. With an African American as the President, African Americans in the USA have the same rights as everyone else. Alas, there is still a lot more that can be done: there is still racial segregation in some high schools in Georgia, USA. It causes great lament to find out that such situations exist in today’s world, that some people still think that some race is superior. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the future generations must continue what Rosa Parks left behind and let her legacy live on, forever.

The author's comments:
This is a piece I wrote for my school's newspaper for Black History Month. I chose to write about Rosa Parks because I was inspired by her and her contribution to the civil rights movement.

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nana said...
on Jan. 11 2016 at 11:06 pm
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Kirit. Nana

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on Feb. 11 2015 at 9:23 am
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on Feb. 14 2014 at 12:00 pm
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AliceDean GOLD said...
on Jul. 30 2010 at 10:02 am
AliceDean GOLD, Skopje, Other
11 articles 10 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
The happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;One of the things that distinguishes man from the other animals is that he wants to know things, wants to find out what reality is like, simply for the sake of knowing. When that desire is completely quenched in anyone, I think he has become something less than human.&#039; &mdash; C.S. Lewis<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Wit beyond measure is man&#039;s greatest treasure.&#039; &mdash; Rowena Ravenclaw<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Every story has an end, but in life every end is just a new beginning.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really Great make you feel that you, too, can become great.&rsquo; &mdash; Mark Twain<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.&rsquo; &mdash; Plato<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;I am only one, but I still am one. I cannot do everything, but I still can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.&rsquo; &mdash; Edward Everett Hale<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;You are no bigger than the things that annoy you.&rsquo; &mdash; Jerry Bundsen<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Cats are smarter than dogs. You can&rsquo;t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.&rsquo; &mdash; Jeff Valdez<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What gets us into trouble is not what we don&#039;t know. It&#039;s what we know for sure that just ain&#039;t so.&#039; &mdash; Mark Twain<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.&#039; &mdash; Benjamin Franklin<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What is essential is invisible to the eye.&#039; &mdash; Antoine de Saint-Exup&eacute;ry in &quot;The Little Prince&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;If you&#039;re holding out for universal popularity, you&#039;ll be waiting a long time.&#039; &mdash; Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I have balls of yarn.&#039; - Monika Spancheska<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Well, it [the news] changes every day, you see.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You can&#039;t give a Dementor the old one-two!&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And they&#039;d [the Death Eaters] love to have me. We&#039;d be best pals if they didn&#039;t keep trying to do me in.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;There&#039;s no need to call me sir Professor.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;A Study of Hogwarts Prefects and Their Later Careers... That sounds fascinating...&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I want to fix that in my memory forever. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret...&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Because that&#039;s what Hermione does. When in doubt, go to the library. - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Can I have a look at Uranus, too, Lavender?&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;...from now on, I don&#039;t care if my tea leaves spell &#039;die, Ron, die,&#039; I&#039;m chucking them in the bin where they belong.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Percy wouldn&#039;t recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby&#039;s tea cozy.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And what in the name of Merlin&rsquo;s most baggy Y Fronts was that about?&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Well, I don&#039;t know how to break this to you, but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Just because you&#039;ve got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn&#039;t mean we all have.&#039; - Hermione Granger<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Grawp&#039;s about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me as Hermy.&#039; - Hermione Granger<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I do love knitting patterns.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And now Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I would assume that you were going to offer me refreshment, but the evidence so far suggests that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Time is making fools of us again.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It&rsquo;s the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Of course, any time the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned.- Sirius Black<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure.&#039; - Severus Snape<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Ah, of course. There is no need to tell me any more, Ms. Granger. Which one of you will be dying this year?&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Really, what has got into you all today? Not that it matters, but that&#039;s the first time my transformation&#039;s not got applause from a class&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;We teachers are rather good at magic, you know.&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I wouldn&#039;t go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid.&#039; - Lily Evans<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts...but you cannot deny he&#039;s got style...&#039; - Phineas Nigellus<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I&#039;ll join you when hell freezes over.&#039; - Neville Longbotom

Thanks once again! I wrote it for our school newspaper, The Discourse Detectives, actually.But, since I am the youngest member on our team, this means a lot to me.

Shelly-T GOLD said...
on Jul. 30 2010 at 8:46 am
Shelly-T GOLD, Romeoville, Illinois
13 articles 0 photos 71 comments
Yeah, I noticed that.  That's why I added that fact about our country.  It's awesome that you wrote this for your essay at school.  You must have done really well!!! :)

AliceDean GOLD said...
on Jul. 29 2010 at 1:42 pm
AliceDean GOLD, Skopje, Other
11 articles 10 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
The happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Life is a spell so exquisite that everything conspires to break it.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;One of the things that distinguishes man from the other animals is that he wants to know things, wants to find out what reality is like, simply for the sake of knowing. When that desire is completely quenched in anyone, I think he has become something less than human.&#039; &mdash; C.S. Lewis<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Wit beyond measure is man&#039;s greatest treasure.&#039; &mdash; Rowena Ravenclaw<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Every story has an end, but in life every end is just a new beginning.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really Great make you feel that you, too, can become great.&rsquo; &mdash; Mark Twain<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.&rsquo; &mdash; Plato<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;I am only one, but I still am one. I cannot do everything, but I still can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.&rsquo; &mdash; Edward Everett Hale<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;You are no bigger than the things that annoy you.&rsquo; &mdash; Jerry Bundsen<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &lsquo;Cats are smarter than dogs. You can&rsquo;t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.&rsquo; &mdash; Jeff Valdez<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What gets us into trouble is not what we don&#039;t know. It&#039;s what we know for sure that just ain&#039;t so.&#039; &mdash; Mark Twain<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.&#039; &mdash; Benjamin Franklin<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What is essential is invisible to the eye.&#039; &mdash; Antoine de Saint-Exup&eacute;ry in &quot;The Little Prince&quot;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;If you&#039;re holding out for universal popularity, you&#039;ll be waiting a long time.&#039; &mdash; Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I have balls of yarn.&#039; - Monika Spancheska<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Well, it [the news] changes every day, you see.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You can&#039;t give a Dementor the old one-two!&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And they&#039;d [the Death Eaters] love to have me. We&#039;d be best pals if they didn&#039;t keep trying to do me in.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;There&#039;s no need to call me sir Professor.&#039; - Harry Potter<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;A Study of Hogwarts Prefects and Their Later Careers... That sounds fascinating...&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I want to fix that in my memory forever. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret...&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Because that&#039;s what Hermione does. When in doubt, go to the library. - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Can I have a look at Uranus, too, Lavender?&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;...from now on, I don&#039;t care if my tea leaves spell &#039;die, Ron, die,&#039; I&#039;m chucking them in the bin where they belong.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Percy wouldn&#039;t recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby&#039;s tea cozy.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And what in the name of Merlin&rsquo;s most baggy Y Fronts was that about?&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Well, I don&#039;t know how to break this to you, but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts.&#039; - Ron Weasley<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Just because you&#039;ve got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn&#039;t mean we all have.&#039; - Hermione Granger<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Grawp&#039;s about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me as Hermy.&#039; - Hermione Granger<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I do love knitting patterns.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;And now Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I would assume that you were going to offer me refreshment, but the evidence so far suggests that that would be optimistic to the point of foolishness.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Time is making fools of us again.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;It&rsquo;s the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally the whole school knows.&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?&#039; - Albus Dumbledore<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Of course, any time the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned.- Sirius Black<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure.&#039; - Severus Snape<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Ah, of course. There is no need to tell me any more, Ms. Granger. Which one of you will be dying this year?&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;Really, what has got into you all today? Not that it matters, but that&#039;s the first time my transformation&#039;s not got applause from a class&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;We teachers are rather good at magic, you know.&#039; - Minerva McGonagall<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I wouldn&#039;t go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid.&#039; - Lily Evans<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts...but you cannot deny he&#039;s got style...&#039; - Phineas Nigellus<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> &#039;I&#039;ll join you when hell freezes over.&#039; - Neville Longbotom

This means a great deal to me because I am not from the United States, and understanding the position Rosa Parks was in was a challenge for me. My country is composed of aa single race only, but we have multiple ethnicities here, and having one of my best friends from a different ethnicity than me - from a minority - greatly helped me comprehend the situation in the United States. Thank you so  much for the positive feedback!

Shelly-T GOLD said...
on Jul. 29 2010 at 10:52 am
Shelly-T GOLD, Romeoville, Illinois
13 articles 0 photos 71 comments
That was wonderful.  It really said a lot about how we established our country upon the principle "all men are created equal," but we are still working on achieving that.  Gread job!