MY MISSION
My name is Sarella Johnson, and my mission is to collect one million signatures on petitions for a "National Holiday for Rosa Parks". The Jim Crow laws so deeply rooted in this country during the 1950's were changed by the initial action of a quiet and humble woman, who was mentally and spiritually tired of segregation, regardless of the consequences of her action.
MY PURPOSE
A friendship was established between Mrs. Parks and me when I was a teenager. I would visit her at her small apartment in the Bi-Centennial Towers near downtown Detroit, Michigan. On my first visit with her, Mrs. Parks shared details about her life. She showed me newspaper articles that she had amassed over the years. I was amazed by the numerous boxes and papers that overtook much of the space in her tiny abode! We talked and laughed for hours. Then she prepared me a meal, in a truly hospitable fashion that bore witness to her southern upbringing. After nearly three hours, I sadly informed her that I had to go home. As we approached her door, she meekly asked, "Would you like to help me?" I ecstatically replied, "Yes!" and so began an endearing relationship-and my quest to assist the Mother of the Modern Civil Rights Movement in any way that I could.
Rosa Parks expressed herself with a quiet dignity and power, which offered a glimpse of her very spirit. She had no college degrees, had not held any political office; and had lived the lifestyle of an ordinary person. Yet, she was so extraordinary! Mrs. Parks never asked this country for anything that was not due her- namely, equality. Led by God with courage, her refusal to relinquish her seat on an Alabama bus to a white man, sparked a movement that changed this nation. She became the model for modern-day civil rights activists the world over.
In August 1994, Mrs. Parks was assaulted and robbed in her Detroit residence. The world media once again zeroed-in on her. Their interest renewed the world's interest in Mrs. Rosa Parks, civil rights activist.
In my teenage years during the 1970's, I did not know if I could help Mrs. Parks, but in 1994 it became clear to me that I could indeed help. I received the support of many politicians, and began in earnest, circulating a nationwide petition for a national holiday in her honor. The one action, of one woman transformed our nation, and Mrs. Rosa Parks should take her rightful place in history.
