In honor of the 55th anniversary of my shero‘s momentous arrest:
I love the Neville Brothers and this tribute, but it does perpetuate the myth of Mrs. Parks as a “simple seamstress” with tired feet. Any cursory study of her life will uncover a very different story.
P.S. – Chicklet thinks this song is for her, since in our house, she’s Sister Rosa.
“Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds, will continue in others.” – Rosa Parks
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I have many obsessions: libraries, Rosa Parks, Three Girls Bakery, Mount Rainier, and–oh yeah–buses. You might not know, since I have not thus far had occasion to write about it here, that I am also obsessed with August Wilson.
I am a huge August Wilson fan. The first time I saw one of his plays staged (Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Alley Theater in Houston, back when I was a student at Rice) was transformational for me. The man has an unmatched ear for dialogue, and [ahem] I happen to enjoy listening to people talk. It’s one of the primary reasons I love the bus.
Apparently, Wilson enjoyed buses for the same reason. Transit geek/novelist Dolen Perkins-Valdez just hipped me to the fact that the famed playwright, a resident of our fair city (incidentally, another of my obsessions) from 1990 until his death in 2005, rode Metro. A lot.
All these years of semi-stalking the man, and I didn’t know. It wasn’t mentioned in any of the zillions of bios I read about him over the years–or at either of the memorials I attended after his death. And yet, all it took was a quick online search to confirm* Dolen’s assertion. August Wilson did, indeed, ride the bus–probably, given the location of his home and his regular haunts–a lot of the same routes I frequent.**
So, it seems that, in addition to providing us time to enjoy the creative work of others, riding transit can also aid the creative process. Toni Morrison (yet another of my obsessions) has said she used her subway rides to work on her first novel, and, as I’ve just discovered, Wilson found inspiration (and probably a lot of material) on the bus. Perhaps I should break out my own (10-year-old-and-as-yet-unpublished) novel. After all, a good quarter of it was written en route.
*This article is in the Boston Globe archives, and I had to pay to read it. I doubt the link will actually show the full text.
**Too bad we never (that I know of) shared a ride. Even my friend Aileen, who boasts of actually meeting him at Red and Black Books back in the day, would be jealous.
For some unknown reason, I regularly receive a monthly e-mail newsletter from King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson. (This is only unusual because I don’t live in his district and don’t remember signing up for it. Call me a civics nerd, but I do actually enjoy reading it.)
Councilmember Ferguson is a proud bus rider and regularly mentions Metro in his communiqués. His latest bus-related broadcast: The inaugural entry of Bob’s Bus Books.
This month, I am starting a new section in my eNews to share what I have been reading on my bus commutes. A few of the books I have enjoyed in the past few months are:
• The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig – Doig is a Shoreline resident and was nominated for the National Book Award for This House of Sky.
• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón – I stole this one from my wife’s reading stack.
• Winter Wheat* and The Curlew’s Cry by Mildred Walker – Walker’s works focus on Western themes. These two novels take place in Montana and were no doubt inspired by her time there.I am currently reading Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey, which many consider to be the best novel set in Oregon.
Looks like Mr. Ferguson is partial to novels written by and about the West. Not that I can talk; I just finished reading (in honor of the anniversary of the boycott, and all) three Rosa Parks-related books–two by her, one about her–in a row. And since we’re on the subject…
My current bus read is Green Metropolis, by David Owen. I would have gotten to it sooner (it came out in September), but the library’s waiting list was about 50 deep. I dutifully waited my turn, and then, just days after my name finally came up, my sweet baby brother, Joel, bought me a copy for Christmas. Lucky for the next person in line.
I digress.
Here’s an excerpt from the publisher’s blurb about the book:
Most Americans think of crowded cities as ecological nightmares, as wastelands of concrete and garbage and diesel fumes and traffic jams. Yet residents of compact urban centers, Owen shows, individually consume less oil, electricity, and water than other Americans. They live in smaller spaces, discard less trash, and, most important of all, spend far less time in automobiles. Residents of Manhattan — the most densely populated place in North America — rank first in public-transit use and last in per capita greenhouse-gas production… They are also among the only people in the United States for whom walking is still an important means of daily transportation.
I’m only on chapter one, but I already love it, and not just because it completely validates my world view–and hates on Portland**, just a little bit. (OK, mostly because of those reasons.) I’m actually learning something about individual energy consumption in the US, and since Owen is a strong writer, his nonfiction goes down nice and easy. (That means that this novel-preferring bus chick won’t take three months to get through it.) Get thee to a library and check out Green Metropolis (or, at least, get on SPL’s website and add yourself to the wait list) immediately.
Next up for me, another Christmas gift: Barbara Kingsolver’s latest, The Lacuna.
And you? What’s on your bus reading list for 2010?
* I’ve actually read Winter Wheat (my mom lent it to me over a decade ago), but I don’t remember much about it except that I enjoyed it.
**Folks, I have nothing but love for our Northwest neighbors to the south, but I do admit to being a wee bit jealous of all the love Portland gets from the rest of the planet. Sue me.
A very brave woman started something big.
Not surprisingly, segregated city buses weren’t Mrs. Parks’ only experience with unequal transportation. During her school years in Pine Level, Alabama, white students were provided with school buses while black children were forced to walk.
“The bus,” she said in an interview, “was among the first ways I realized there was a black world and a white world.”
Certainly, there are remnants of this separation today (including on the bus*), but I am so grateful that Mrs. Parks (and many, many others) sacrificed their livelihoods and personal safety so that I could take for granted my right to ride.
“Memories of our lives, our works and our deeds, live on in others.” – Rosa Parks
RIP, Original Bus Chick. Much respect.
*I just read an interesting (if not particularly recent) article about the state of Montgomery transit (and equality) at the Millennium. (via: Streetsblog Network)
The Rosa Parks Transit Center opens Tuesday!
From The Detroit Free Press:
Inside, two levels open to the public offer restrooms, a cashier station for bus fares, and information and security booths. … Users will find seating inside as well as four areas the city said will house retail outlets, possibly restaurant, café or newsstand-type stores [.
Outside, under the whimsical, glass-coated fiber canopies, riders may sit on benches and check electronic signs announcing arrival times for buses based on real-time GPS coordinates.[…]
“There aren’t a lot of facilities like this, particularly for buses,” Advani said during a media tour of the center this morning. … “The aim, he said, was an iconic facility that provides “a comfortable, respectful and safe environment” for transit users.
Leave aside for a moment my obsession with Mrs. Parks. The restrooms alone make this transit center worth visiting. (Hey, I’m getting tired of memorizing coffee-shop access codes.) Those of you who make it to the big party (my Gail–ahem!): I’m counting on you to report back.
We’re back from a fun visit to Detroit. I must say, busing with a small child is good practice for riding an airplane with one. Bus Nerd and I are excellent at packing light (haven’t checked a bag yet), and we know how to keep Chicklet entertained on rides.* Chicklet is used to sitting quietly in vehicles full of people and a pro at sleeping on the go. As a result of her training, she was an absolute angel during our travels, including the bus rides to and from the airport.
On to the trip recap:
A good time was had by all. Chicklet got to help her granddad celebrate his birthday (that’s two grandpa birthdays in a little over two weeks) and just generally bond with her Michigan fam; Nerd got to bask in the joy of being in his city (the man loves Detroit at least as much as I love Seattle, and that’s a lot of love); and I got to indulge my secret affinity for candy paint and big wheels (hey–everyone’s got a vice) and enjoy being surrounded by tributes to my shero.
Sadly, I didn’t get a photo of Rosa Parks Boulevard; we didn’t have the camera handy.
We didn’t do much–OK, any–Detroit busing this time, as we were traveling with family (we walked a lot, if that counts), but because we intended to, Bus Nerd spent a little time on DDOT’s website. In the course of his trip planning, he came across these Arabic bus schedules. Cool, no?
And finally, a cool sign across from the area on Belle Isle where we picnicked for my father-in-law’s birthday.
Bus Nerd says it’s a real bus stop. Next time, we’ll ride the bus to Belle Isle so we can actually use it.
* OK, not four-hour rides, but still.
On a happier note:
Today is the 96th anniversary of the birth of Rosa Parks. In honor:
– A video of her 1980 appearance on To Tell the Truth, posted by Seth T. and sent to me by Eric S., a 358 rider from the north end.
I find it somewhat odd that she was on a show where the aim is to pick her out of group; I just assumed that everyone knew what she looked like. Who hasn’t seen this photo?
– A yarn named after her, sent to me by Vanessa N., a bus knitter from Redmond. (Thanks, Vanessa!)
I love this yarn, even if I don’t understand why it has her name. (Maybe because it’s multicolored [to symbolize unity or something]? Or maybe the people at Jimmy Beans Wool are as obsessed with her as I am.) If I knew how to knit (anything other than a scarf, that is), Chicklet would definitely be getting a sweater made out of it. And again:
“Memories of our lives, our works, and our deeds, live on in others.” – Rosa Louise McCauley Parks
Our bus family spent the weekend (and then some) in Nerd’s hometown of Detroit, Michigan. (Yes, folks, the Motor City managed to grow at least one bus nerd.) We spent some of our visit downtown, checking out the new and improved Riverwalk, eating coneys and enjoying the fountain at Campus Martius Park, and (best of all) visiting the construction site of the soon-to-be-completed Rosa Parks Transit Center.
Here’s what it will look like when it’s finished:
The transit center is planned as a 24-hour multi-modal transfer facility connecting passengers to DDOT, SMART and Transit Windsor Tunnel buses as well as to the Detroit People Mover. It consists of a 25,700 square foot three-level building and a central island with 12 bus bays. The building will host a cashier, retail, DDOT police and passenger seating as well as an AVL system that will show route schedules in real time.
(Source: Model D)
I wouldn’t exactly call what I’m feeling transit envy (I’ll take our bus system over Detroit’s any day), but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to a few pangs–and not just because they get a transit center named after my shero.
24 hours? Indoor waiting area? Retail (which could be used to fund more service)? Must be nice.
Sorry for the lack of posts of late. Bus Nerd and I spent the early part of this week in Selma, Alabama, visiting some of his relatives. On the long journey to Selma, we stopped in Montgomery, a city made famous by one very historic bus ride. (Yes, I will take any opportunity to mention my shero.)
While I’m on the subject…
My new favorite bus stop:
If you’re interested in checking it out for yourself, it’s the northbound 7/39/48 stop on the east side of Rainier, just north of Alaska.
…and my favorite bus poem:
Rosa Parks Dream
Young man one color,
elder woman yet anotherwhich is which no fuss
All one on the packed busHis seat offered, happily declined
-she sits all day…..but still….how kind!Unnoticed words about Rosa printed above
Off the bus I wept, in joy and loveThank you again Rosa
– Markus Wells
I would love this poem even if it wasn’t about Mrs. Parks. In just a few words, the author manages to capture what I love so much about the ride:
“Which is which no fuss/All one on the packed bus.”
Today, as we enjoy our Chicklet‘s 95th day of life, we also celebrate the 95th anniversary of the birth of her namesake, Mrs. Rosa Louise McCauley Parks.
“Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds, will continue in others.” – Rosa Parks
