“Rosa sat so that Martin could walk; Martin walked so that Obama could run; Obama ran so that Our children could fly.”On August 28th, 2008, Barack Hussein Obama, a Biracial junior Senator from Illinois accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States. This event coincided with the 45 year anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s historical and inspirational “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial. The intent of this exhibit is to highlight the journey of African Americans in the United States from the turbulent Civil Rights Movement until today and to celebrate the achievement of President Barack Obama, the first man of African descent to become President.
The phrase “Rosa sat so Martin could march; Martin marched so Obama could run; Obama ran so our children could fly.” began as a simple email sent by a 19-year old single mother from McKeesport, PA to the Democratic Party Chairman for Pittsburgh’s 22nd Ward (Khari Mosley). The phrase was quoted by Khari Mosley in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on November 2, 2008 and was soon being forwarded all over our country through emails.
This quote seemed to encapsulate the spirit of the African American experience. It recognized the importance of those that came before us, showing tribute and appreciation for their experiences, and provides us with the hope that will move us forward to the next marker of progress in America.
Rosa sat …On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a black woman working as a seamstress, after a tiring day at work, refused to give up her seat on the bus when a white man demanded it. When the driver ordered Parks from her seat, Rosa sat until the bus driver called the police. She was taken to the police station, booked, fingerprinted, and arrested. This incident spurred Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to plan a boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama public transportation system four days later – a monumental event leading to his emergence as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement that would soon follow.
Martin marched …On December 4, 1955, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the blacks in Montgomery, Alabama in a boycott of the public transportation system of the city. The year-long boycott was only the beginning of King’s peaceful movement to obtain civil rights for blacks. Martin continued to march and was arrested over 30 times for his participation in civil rights activities; but he never gave up his dream of one day seeing all blacks enjoying the same rights as whites in our country.
In 1996, Barack Obama ran for the Illinois State Senate; he served as an Illinois state senator for eight years. In 2003, he ran for U.S. Senator for the state of Illinois; he became the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate. On February 10, 2007, the junior U.S. Senator from Illinois announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States. He ran in this race for over a year before becoming the first African American to be elected President of the United States on November 4, 2008. On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama realized the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King when he was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.
For those of us who never thought that we could tell our children that they can be whatever they want to be, we know this is no longer the case. We can no longer be afraid to urge them to set their sights high, to soar, to fly.
This exhibit was created through the collaboration of Natalie Walker (right), Director of the Martin Luther King Program and Beverly Hamilton (left), formerly of the Office of Social Equity to celebrate both MLK Day and Black History Month at Shippensburg University.
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