“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”
—Rosa Parks
Today marks what would be Rosa Parks’ 108th birthday, so today we join together to celebrate her life and achievements. Parks is most widely known for her pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement when she famously refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus sixty-six years ago. But beyond that, she was a remarkable tenacious woman whose courage knew no bounds and possessed a fire in her that burned so bright it would inspire generations to come. She knew what it was to take a risk, to make a change no matter what barriers you face, to push through fear and come out the other side better than before.
It is through her legacy that we are reminded how to be strong and take a chance no matter how impossible it may seem. She, and other members of the Civil Rights Movement, teach us the importance of persistence because no successful venture happens overnight. It is something that we constantly have to work at even on days where it seems impossible or terrifying and even on days when we don’t feel like it. Have the courage to stand up for yourself and believe in whatever path your journey takes you on.
Take today as an opportunity to evaluate your life and see how you can instill Parks’ message of strength, persistence, and courage into your own life. And remember, never let anything stand in the way of the person you are choosing to become.