Equal Justice Initiative unveils new Rosa Parks statue in Montgomery, Alabama
The new Rosa Parks statue in Montgomery's Legacy Plaza. (Equal Justice Initiative)
Parks also will be honored soon with another statue on the grounds of the state Capitol.
Rosa Parks‘ refusal to move to the back of a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement. On Wednesday, just a few blocks from where she was arrested, a new statue of Parks made its debut, commemorating her bravery and seminal contribution to the struggle for equal rights.
The statue itself is 6 feet tall, measured with the base of the statue it is 8 feet tall. It is located at Legacy Plaza, just across from Montgomery’s Legacy Museum. It depicts Parks as if she was still sitting on the bus from which she was forcibly removed by police on Dec. 1, 1955. Her arrest for violating the city’s segregation laws led to the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott, an unprecedented demonstration that elevated a young Black pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to national prominence.
The sculpture of Parks is the first of three statues to be installed at Legacy Plaza in the coming months. The nonprofit Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) also plans to create a major statue honoring King, and one honoring the late civil rights activist, Georgia congressman and Alabama native John Lewis.
Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative director, speaking at the new Rosa Parks statue unveiling in Montgomery’s Legacy Plaza. (Equal Justice Initiative)
“This Black History month, on Valentine’s Day, there are many of us who want to express our love, appreciation and gratitude to Mrs. Rosa Parks, whose extraordinary leadership inspired the whole world,” said EJI Director Bryan Stevenson. “As someone who had the privilege of spending time with Mrs. Parks, I can affirm that she had the kind of power and conviction that could absolutely change the world. We are thrilled to honor her at Legacy Plaza.”
Legacy Plaza serves as a gathering place for visitors coming to the Legacy Museum. In addition to the new Parks statue, the plaza features a brick sculpture honoring civil rights marchers and a mural created by artist Kevin King.
The Rosa Parks statue was created by acclaimed Atlanta-based sculptor Basil Watson, who recently completed a statue of King for the city of Atlanta near Mercedes-Benz stadium.
The new Rosa Parks statue in Montgomery’s Legacy Plaza. (Equal Justice Initiative)
Among those attending the statue’s unveiling was Doris Crenshaw, director of the Montgomery-based Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute who, as a young civil rights activist, got to know Parks and maintained a close relationship with her for decades. Also attending were Georgette Norman, former director of the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, and Tommie Tonea Stewart, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Alabama State University.
Another major Rosa Parks statue is expected to be installed this coming fall on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol. The Alabama Women’s Tribute Statue Commission approved a full-scale model of the statue, by sculptor Julia Knight, in December. The 9-foot, 6-inch statue will be cast in bronze and will be 17 feet tall atop a granite base. It will face Bainbridge Street in Montgomery in a prominent place at the top of the Capitol steps.
Another statue of Parks, at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, was created by Ian Mangum and installed in 2020 during the 65th anniversary of the bus boycott. Parks at one time worked on the base as a seamstress.
EJI is focused on ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting basic human rights for vulnerable Americans. EJI was founded in 1989 by Stevenson, a nationally prominent public interest lawyer and best-selling author of “Just Mercy.” EJI recently launched new programs aimed at reducing poverty in America, including a program to address food insecurity and a clinic providing free health care to those in need. The Alabama Power Foundation has provided support to EJI.
The EJI Legacy Sites in Montgomery include The Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the soon-to-0pen Freedom Monument Sculpture Park.
