14th Annual Statewide Tribute to Rosa Parks
Community Leaders Forum and Panel Discussion
Monday, Dec. 3, 2018
5:30 p.m. – Community Leaders Forum
7:00 p.m. – “Conversations” – A Panel Discussion
Footsteps: We All Have A Role To Play
Fawcett Event Center
2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, 43210
The panel features Hasan Jeffries, associate professor of history at The Ohio State University; Ginette Rhodes, president – NAACP College Chapter, The Ohio State University; and Andrea Davis Pinkney, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author. The discussion will be moderated by Jerry Revish, WBNS-10 TV news anchor and begin promptly at 7 p.m.
Please RSVP no later than Friday, Nov. 23, by calling 614-308-4403 or emailing us at ZimmermanDC@cota.com.
Rosa Parks Children’s Assembly
Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018
11 a.m.
Southern Theatre
21 E. Main St., Columbus, OH 43215
Stream the event live (via 10TV)
This event will feature Columbus Children’s Theatre’s production of “The Ruby Bridges Story,” a play by William Goldsmith. Jerry Revish will serve as Master of Ceremony. More than 500 students from Alpine Elementary School, Easthaven Elementary School and Hamilton Local Elementary will be on site.
Background
On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, the mother of the modern civil rights movement, embodied the values of courage, fairness and compassion when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white passenger. Her spirit inspires Ohio to recognize her legacy each year in “The Power of One,” Ohio’s annual statewide tribute to Rosa Parks.
In 2005, 50 years after Mrs. Parks’ brave act led to events that sparked the civil rights movement, then-State Rep. Joyce Beatty wrote legislation that was signed into law by Gov. Bob Taft to make Ohio the first state to designate Dec. 1 as Rosa Parks Day.
Ohio’s annual tributes have engaged thousands of children and community leaders across the state to celebrate Mrs. Parks’ legacy and example.
In 2009, Ohio’s Rosa Parks Tribute was recognized by the American Public Transportation Association, receiving the grand prize award in the special event category. In 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives recognized and entered the Statewide Tribute to Rosa Parks into the Congressional Record.