Kerry Washington Recreates Rosa Parks’ Mugshot In Honor Of Black History Month: ‘We Are Forever Grateful’
In celebration of Black History Month, actress Kerry Washington took to Instagram this week to pay tribute to late civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.
The 45-year-old star recreated a February 1956 mugshot of Parks after her arrest in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She held up a sign reading ‘7053,’ which was the booking number authorities assigned her in the wake of her arrest. In the post, the Emmy-winning actress praised Parks her her efforts she put forth prior to becoming a famed American icon:
“Back with some more BlackHERstory! This time celebrating THE Rosa Parks. A lot of people think that Rosa’s activism started with her refusing to give up her seat on the bus. But she lived a life of activism long before that. Fighting, boycotting, marching, and even working as an investigator for the NAACP, advocating against sexual assaults on Black women. It was Rosa Park’s act of civil disobedience on that bus that sparked a revolution. She took that seat in order to take a stand. That seat on the bus was her fighting stance and so we continue the fight today, in whatever way we can! Lets ask ourselves, what can we do! Sit. Stand. March. Make calls. Volunteer. Talk to your family and friends. Do whatever you can and however you can. Rosa taught us that. And we are forever grateful. It was an honor to honor her.”
As it was previously reported, Parks was arrested on Dec. 1, 1955 after refusing to give up her seat on an Alabama bus for a white person and move to the “colored section.” The mugshot was taken when she was arrested in February 1956 after she and 88 other “boycott leaders” were indicted by the city in an attempt to end the boycott. Her bold move sparked a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system. It also led to a 1956 Supreme Court decision banning segregation on public transportation — a moment that helped spark the civil rights movement. Parks died in 2005 at the age of 92.
Washington also honored black athlete Wilma Rudoph, last week who won three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960.
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