In 1900, Montgomery passed a city ordinance to segregate bus passengers by race. Conductors were empowered to assign seats to achieve this goal. Under the law, no passenger would be forced to move or abandon their seat and stand up if the bus was crowded and no other seats were available. However, over time and through custom, Montgomery bus drivers adopted the practice of forcing black passengers to move when no seats reserved for whites remained. After working all day, Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus, a General Motors Old Look bus owned by Montgomery City Lines, around 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 1, 1955, in downtown Montgomery. She paid for her ticket and sat in a seat in the first row of back seats reserved for blacks in the “colored” section. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Near the middle of the bus, his row was directly behind the ten seats reserved for white passengers. At first, she did not notice that the bus driver was the same man, James F. Blake, who had left her in the rain in 1943. As the bus traveled its regular route, all seats reserved for whites were filling up. up. The bus reached the third stop in front of the Empire Theater and several white passengers boarded. Blake noted that two or three white passengers were standing, with the front of the bus filled to capacity. He moved the “colored” sign behind Parks and demanded that four black people give up their seats in the center section so white passengers could sit. Years later, recalling the events of the day, Parks said: "When that white driver backed up towards us, when he waved his hand and ordered us to stand up and get out of our seats , I felt determination covering my body like a blanket. a winter night. "According to Parks' account, Blake said, 'You better take it lightly and give me those seats.' Three of them complied. Parks said: "The driver wanted all four of us to stand up. We didn't move at first, but he said, 'Let me have these seats.' And the other three people moved, but not me.” The black man sitting next to her gave up his seat. Parks moved, but to the window seat; she did not get up to move to the redesignated colored section. Parks later said he was asked to move to the back of the bus: "I thought about Emmett Till and I just couldn't go back." Blake said, "Why don't you get up?" Parks responded, "I don't think I should have to get up." Blake called the police to arrest Parks. Discussing the incident on Eyes on the Prize, a 1987 public television series about the civil rights movement, Parks said: "When he saw me still sitting, he asked me if I was going to get up , and I said, “No, I don’t. And he said, "Well, if you don't get up, I'm going to have to call the police and have you arrested." » I said, "You can do it." » Because of her actions that day, she was named head of the civil rights campaign by Martin Luther King and others. She was chosen from among the women who had done such things because of her established role in the community. black commuters to stop taking the bus and walk, bike, or go to work with their white boss. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized document now.