ANNUAL COMMEMORATIVE LUNCHEON AND AWARD IN HONOR OF ROSA PARKS

Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat to a White man on a Montgomery, Alabama Bus on December 1st. 1955 provided the impetus for the Modern Civil Rights Movement and earned her the title of “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” Following her death in 2005, the Rowan UniversityAfricana Studies Program established an Annual Commemorative Luncheon and Award to honor her legacy, which has had worldwide impact in the struggle for freedom, social justice, and democratic participation.

Rosa Parks Award Recipients:

February 15, 2006, Reverend Dr. James Donald Rice, Paster & Civil Rights Leader; lecture title: “Reflections on Rosa Parks & the Civil Rights Movement.”

February 19, 2007, Dr. Mary Frances Berry, Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social thought and Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania & former Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; lecture title: “Whatever Happened To The Civil Rights Movement.”

February 19, 2008, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, NJ General Assembly 15th Legislative District & Former Chairperson of the NJ Democratic State Committee; lecture title: “Breaking Barriers and Fighting for Justice: The Enduring Crusade for Change in America, 52 Years after the Montgomery Bus Boycott.”