In Spite of Rosa Parks, Are We Still at the Back of the Bus

Rosa Parks opened the door to equality. Now it is time for our generation to walk through it. There are important steps everyone should take to honor the memory of Rosa Parks and to further the legacy she began the day she refused to move to the back of the bus.

(PRWEB) November 5, 2005 -- As I reflect on the life and death of Ms. Rosa Parks, I think about how far we have come as a people since that fateful day in which she made sure that she was no longer going to be the only one with tired feet. Forty years later, African-Americans are now “flossing” like never before, “blinging” out of our minds, and “ballin” out of control. We are more likely to be pushing a Benz than a broom, and more likely to be one of the Huxtables than we are to be a cast member for the show “Good Times”.

If so much progress has been made, why don’t I feel good about where we are as black people? As I reflected on this issue over a grilled cheese sandwich, it finally hit me: There has been progress, but we are still, for the most part, sitting at the back of the bus.

· There are more black men in jail than there are on college campuses.

· 82% of black men of college age are not enrolled in college.

· 60.9% of all black households have 0 or negative net financial assets.

· Predominantly white school districts have graduation rates 31% higher than those in predominantly black school districts.

· The murder rate for black males is nearly 7 times greater than for white males.

· African-Americans are 3 times more likely to be born into poverty than white Americans.

· Black boys are 2.5 times more likely to be placed in special education than white boys.

Rosa Parks opened the door, now it is time for our generation to walk through it. She endured personal strife in order to create opportunity, and it is important that we demand these opportunities and be willing to endure our own strife in order to achieve true equality.

Some of us have forgotten that equality does not mean that we have most of what we deserve, it means having our entire share of this country. If a state is 13% black, then 13% of high ranking corporate positions should be held by African-Americans, at least 13% of all teachers should be black, at least 13% of all police officers should be black. The list goes on.

Such disparities in wealth and opportunity are not rectified with focus groups, friendly conversations and an agreement to stop burning crosses in front yards. They are corrected through progressive, deliberate action on the part of all Americans to resurrect this country from the crippling impact of past indiscretions. At the funeral of Ms. Parks, everyone held hands and sang, “We shall overcome.” It is time for our generation to give both of the hand holders something to sing about.

About Dr. Boyce Watkins

Dr. Boyce Watkins is Syracuse University’s first black finance professor and the author of “What if George Bush Were a Black Man?”

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