Editor’s Note: March is Women’s History Month and Spirit of Abilene will be highlighting women who have made a difference in the lives of others. To honor someone, send her name, photo, and reason for the honor to editor@spiritofabilene.com

By Danny Minton

I was a week past turning eight years old when December 1, 1955, dawned. It would be a few years before what happened on that date would make sense to me. However, what happened on that winter day would be a milestone that changed the course of history. Most of the current generation has no idea what occurred on that date in the history of our country, while many of my generation have placed the event in the back of their minds. On that day, one woman innocently began a chain reaction that helped turn the tides of the world in which I lived in 1955.

In 1955, much of the country was still segregated between people of different skin colors. I remember the signs in our hometown announcing “Whites Only” or “Colored.”  There were separate water fountains and restrooms. Restaurants had separate sections for dining and often different entrances. Theaters, schools, and businesses were often designated “Whites Only” or simply “No Colored Allowed.” As sad as it is to us today, it was a fact of life in those post-war years. Things were beginning to change, but slowly. We were a country of divided standards based on the color of one’s skin. If you rode the bus, the “colored” section was in the back, while the “Whites” sat in the forward seats.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Louise McCauley Parks stepped aboard a bus in Mongomery, Alabama, and made her way to the “colored” section. When the “white” section became full, the bus driver stopped and requested that the row in the “colored” section where Rosa was seated give up their seats, adding another row for “white” passengers. Three of the passengers left their seats, but Rosa refused. Eventually, the police arrived, listened to what happened, and arrested Rosa. “People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired,” wrote Parks in her autobiography, “but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically. No, the only tired I was was tired of giving in.”

Rosa Parks

E.D. Nixon, a Civil Rights leader in Alabama, decided to approach Rosa Parks and her family about using the incident to their advantage to end segregation in Alabama. As a result of her action, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was born. The leader selected for the boycott was a young man named Martin Luther King. The group passed around 35,000 flyers explaining the boycott. The boycott was to begin on the day of Rosa’s trial, December 5. Rosa was found guilty and fined $10 plus $4 court fees. She would eventually lose her job, face threats, and eventually move with her family to Detroit. 

On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional. The boycott would last over a year, ending on December 20, 1956. During that year, all black citizens found other means of transportation while the backs of the buses remained empty. The country was changed because a woman,  Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, refused to give up her seat that December day in 1955.

In our current world, people always look to those in charge to change things. We announce our disagreement with things in the world, complain and gripe, and then sit down, eat our supper, and watch TV, wondering why things aren’t changing for the better. Many feel they have no power to change the world; after all, they are only one small voice in a sea of people with influence, power, and money. 

Many of the most significant church programs have been put into place not by the leadership but by individuals with ideas. I’ve seen this occur at our congregation over the thirty-plus years we’ve been with them. Years ago, a woman brought up the concept of “Make a Difference Day.” It was designed for groups to go out on a particular Sunday and help a family in need in the community clean up property, build a ramp, or other special needs. Another man came up with an idea to teach people who did not feel comfortable stepping inside a church building. The idea resulted in the establishment of “Bar Church.” Its beginnings occurred in a building with a bar at other times. It was a place where the lost of the world felt comfortable coming and being around people who looked and dressed like them.

A decade later, it is no longer in a bar but remains a vital outreach every Sunday morning. We had ladies who started a quilting ministry, making quilts for people and sending many to places outside the congregation. There was a lady whose ministry was making clothes for babies who died at birth. Like most of you, I could go on about how small acts change people’s lives, sometimes one or two and sometimes hundreds or more. 

Jesus taught a small group of men to spread the gospel. That group became over 3,000 men and women in one day. The men and women spread throughout the world. Today, because a small group dedicated their lives to serving God, over 2.38 billion people call themselves Christians. 

For the church to continue to grow in a world that is slipping away, there must be more people like Rosa Parks. We need to stop sitting around and expecting others to change things for the better while all we do is complain. We need to have the courage to quit “giving in.” We must stand up for Jesus in a world that is pushing him away!

“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:13 (NASB

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ