Waiting for my proletarian chariot
I wrote my Ottawa Citizen column on the OC Transpo documentary I told you about last week. I interviewed the filmmaker. He’s as surprised as everyone else by the reaction.
Last Monday, Dec. 2, was Rosa Parks Day and my beloved Huntsville, Alabama, marked the occasion by offering free transit rides to everyone. Along with this message:
“Rosa Parks’ courage and determination launched a movement that forever changed our nation,” Mayor Tommy Battle said. ” I encourage everyone in Huntsville to take advantage of the free rides offered by Huntsville Transit on Rosa Parks Day. This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the past while also embracing the accessibility and opportunities of the present.”
A seat at the front of each fixed-route bus will feature a cover and sash bearing Parks’ name, courtesy of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. This is the seventh year Huntsville Transit has celebrated Rosa Parks Day.
Other municipalities in the United States had similar initiatives, it turns out. Civil rights aren’t about buses, really. They’re much bigger than that. But I absolutely love the idea of using the same tool to tell kids, and remind us older folks, that public services are an accurate reflection of society.
Up here we don’t do anything to commemorate Rosa Parks other than have our buses disappear and our trains not run on time. But that’s pretty much every day.
Watch Gio’s film, perhaps as you wait for that elusive red and white limo.
