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Rosa Parks, Rosa Louise McCauley (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005), African American civil rights activist is often called the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.

Her arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a bus triggered the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 and 1956 and set in motion the test case for the desegregation of public transportation.

The segregated seating policies on public buses had long been a source of resentment within the black community in Montgomery and in other cities throughout the Deep South. African Americans were required to pay their fares at the front of the bus and then to reboard through the back door. The white bus drivers, who were invested with police powers, frequently harassed blacks, sometimes driving away before African American passengers were able to get back on the bus. During peak hours, the drivers pushed back the boundary markers that segregated the bus, crowding those in the “colored section” to provide more whites with seats.

On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks was arrested for disregarding an order to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger. Her protest galvanized a growing movement to desegregate public transportation and marked a historic turning point in the African American battle for civil rights. Rosa Parks was much more than an accidental symbol, however. It is sometimes overlooked that at the time of her arrest, she was no ordinary bus rider; she was an experienced activist with strong beliefs.

Although three black women had been arrested earlier that year for similar acts of defiance, and Rosa Parks herself had been thrown off a bus by the same driver 12 years before, this time the opponents of segregation were prepared to mount a counterattack. The Montgomery chapter of the NAACP had been looking for a test case to challenge the legality of segregated bus seating and to woo public opinion with a series of protests.

The morning after her arrest, Rosa Parks agreed to let the NAACP take on her case. Another organization, the Women's Political Council (WPC), led by JoAnn Robinson, initiated the idea of a one-day bus boycott. Within 24 hours of Rosa Parks's defiance, the WPC had distributed more than 52,000 fliers announcing the bus boycott, which was to take place the day of Rosa Parks's trial. On December 5, as buses went through their routes almost empty, Rosa Parks was convicted by the local court. She refused to pay the fine of $14, and with the help of her lawyer, Ed D. Gray, she appealed to the circuit court.

Rosa Parks was widely known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, but her iconic stature afforded her little financial security. She lost her job as a seamstress at Montgomery Fair and was unable to find other work in Montgomery. Rosa Parks and her husband relocated to Detroit, Michigan, in 1957, where they struggled financially for the next eight years. Rosa Parks's fortunes improved somewhat in 1965, when U.S. congressional representative John F. Conyers Jr. hired her as an administrative assistant, a position she held until 1987..

Rosa remained a committed activist. In the 1980s she worked in support of the South African antiapartheid movement, and in Detroit in 1987 she founded the Rosa and Raymond Rosa Parks Institute for Self-Development, a career counseling center for black youth.

She received numerous awards and tributes during her life, including the NAACP's highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, in 1970 and the prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in 1980. Cleveland Avenue in the city of Montgomery was renamed Rosa Rosa Parks Boulevard in 1965. In 1996 U.S. president Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that the U.S. government can give to a civilian.

A friend once described Rosa Parks as someone who, as a rule, did not defy authority, but once determined on a course of action, refused to back down: "She might ignore you, go around you, but never retreat.

Rosa died on October 24, 2005, but the act of her civil disobedience on that bus in 1955 changed our nation forever.

One year ago today, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became the first major act of Congress signed into law by President Barack Obama.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restored employees rights to challenge pay discrimination. In the year since the law took effect, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reviewed over 1,100 cases where people were denied wage compensation, and some 4,800 charges alleging wage discrimination were filed with the Commission. Numerous court cases have cited the law in an effort to win compensation for back-earnings. 

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Women are still treated unfairly in the workplace. Wage disparity persists, and women still earn, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. If the wage gap was eliminated, annual family incomes would increase by $4,000--and the poverty rate would be cut in half. Paycheck fairness for our country's working women would in of itself act as an economic stimulus package.

For all of these reasons (and more), we must strengthen laws against wage discrimination. But don't just take my word for it --hear what Lilly Ledbetter herself thinks we can do to keep women in the workforce from being discriminated against:

"We need to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act....The bill would empower women to negotiate for equal pay, create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law, and strengthen federal outreach and enforcement efforts. It would also strengthen penalties for equal pay violations.

[...] "One of the most important aspects of the Paycheck Fairness Act is a provision that would prohibit retaliation against workers who ask about employers' wage practices or disclose their own wages to co-workers. This would have been particularly helpful to me, because Goodyear prohibited my colleagues and me from talking about our wages. This policy delayed my discovery of the pay inequities between my male counterparts and me by -- literally -- decades."

It's high past the time for women to have the same rights, the same opportunities and the same freedom to pursue their dreams as men do. If we don't get this legislation passed, our daughters could end up having to fight for fair treatment and pay in the workplace--just like their mothers and grandmothers.

The Paycheck Fairness Act is now pending in the Senate.  Senator Sherrod Brown  is a co-sponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182).  Take action now and tell George Voinovich to support the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Received via email from our friends at Americans United For Change:

What happened in Massachusetts yesterday is a call to action, not a cause for retreat.

The people of Massachusetts voted for change and they are frustrated with the seeming lack thereof. They are hurting and they have not yet seen Congress come forward to ease their pain, punish those who caused this crisis or make sure it cannot happen again.

Unfortunately, they picked the wrong side to blame. Regardless of how you feel about the way the health insurance reform effort has played out, it's important to note that most Democrats in Congress, and certainly the White House, supported swift, bold and effective change. The majority of Democrats in the Senate, for example, support the public health insurance option. But they couldn't get it done because the minority Republicans blocked an up-or-down vote.

When it comes to financial reform, the Obama Administration and Senate Banking Committee Chair Chris Dodd proposed strong legislation to reign in the abuses of the big banks that led to this mess in the first place. The banking committee's Republican leader, Senator Richard Shelby said "no way, no how, not ever."  

You get the idea: Lack of change is not for lack of trying on the part of the majority of congressional Democrats. But despite being the majority, the Republicans have blocked them from voting.

Scott Brown is only going to make it harder to do what we need to do in America - like clean up Wall Street and provide good, affordable health care for all. He has shown on the campaign trail that he will stand firmly with his Republican colleagues in favor of the Bush-era policies and politics that got us into this mess in the first place.

And if that doesn't scare you into fighting even harder, I don't know what will.

Call your member of Congress at 202-225-3121 or write your Senators and Members of Congress through our website.

Tell them to fight hard against Wall Street, the insurance companies and those elected officials who carry their water.

President Barack Obama chats with people as he gives out meals in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day during a volunteer work project at the So Others Might Eat dining room for the homeless in Washington January 18, 2010.

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Lawmakers and advocates want Ohio to do more to fight what they've described as modern-day slavery.

On Monday a conference at the Ohio Statehouse focused on human trafficking and ways to strengthen a year-old state law that increased sentences for crimes if human trafficking is involved.

State Sen. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, introduced the bill Gov. Ted Strickland signed last January and says she plans to offer a new measure to make human trafficking a stand-alone felony offense.

Fedor was joined by Attorney General Richard Cordray, US Attorneys Carter Stewart and Steve Dettelbach, State Representative Kathleen Chandler (D-Kent), State Senator Jim Hughes and Ambassador Mark Lagon from the Polaris Project.

Lagon said Ohio also needs to broaden its definition of human trafficking to include forced labor and not just people coerced into the sex trade. And, he said the state should offer more assistance to trafficking victims.

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On January, 18, 2010, people of all ages and backgrounds will come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and to move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned. Dr. Martin Luther King devoted his life’s work to causes of equality and social justice. He taught that through nonviolence and service to one another, problems such as hunger and homelessness, prejudice and discrimination can be overcome. Dr. King’s teachings can continue to guide us in addressing our nation’s most pressing needs---poverty, economic insecurity, job loss and education.

Volunteer with Americans across the nation on the 2010 King Day of Service and make a real in difference in your community.

How to Serve

• Find a volunteer opportunity
• Create and/or register a project

2010 MLK Day Technology Challenge

We are calling on educators and web professionals to join our new effort – the 2010 MLK Day Technology Challenge. The idea is simple: to connect schools with technology needs to IT and web professionals, developers, graphic designers and new media professionals who are willing to volunteer their skills for good, take on these technology projects and give back to a school in need.

• Learn more

MLK Day Resources

Everything you need to plan a King Day project - including tips on getting started, building partnerships, organizing the day, and fundraising (PDF). You’ll also find a service-learning guide for schools and organizations (PDF), project examples, and marketing tools to help promote your project.

• Visit MLKDay.gov
• News and events

Columbus, OH – Continuing her commitment to eradicate Human Trafficking through legislation and awareness, State Senator Teresa Fedor will hold a Human Trafficking Awareness Day event at the Ohio Statehouse on January 11, 2010 from 8:30 to 11:30 A.M.  Ambassador Mark Lagon, CEO of the Polaris Project, will deliver the keynote address at 9:05 A.M.  Also addressing the audience will be: Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, U.S. Attorneys Carter Stewart & Steve Dettelbach, Rep. Kathleen Chandler, Sen. Jim Hughes and Dawn Conway, the Sr. Vice President for Corporate Responsibility at Lexis Nexis.

The event will also feature two panels of experts addressing the victim’s assistance and law enforcement aspects of Human Trafficking. Local human trafficking experts EleSondra De Romano – Wake Up Youth, Celia Williamson – Second Change, Jake Hardie – FBI, Pete Swartz – Toledo Police Department, Amy Allen – ICE, and Hon. Connie Zemmelman will address the audience.

“Human Trafficking is a very real problem in Ohio. Ohioans must stop and take notice of the atrocities being committed against children in our State.  My hope is that by strengthening criminal penalties through legislation and by bringing together anti-trafficking groups and experts to spread awareness, we can begin to eradicate this horrible form of modern-day slavery,” said Senator Fedor.

Click here to download the Human Trafficking Awareness Day event flyer and agenda

This morning, after a year-long fight with Republicans, and a weeks-long debate, which ultimately pitted Democrat against Democrat, and liberal against liberal, the Senate passed a historic bill calling for major reforms of the U.S. health care system by a vote of 60-39.

Presiding over the Senate, in a rare appearance, was Vice President Joe Biden. As Senate chair, the Vice President can serve as the tie-breaking vote in the event of a 50-50 deadlock. But tonight's victory for Democrats was never in doubt.

Over the course of this week, Democrats have passed several test votes--set at a 60-member, supermajority threshold. The only question this morning was, would they keep all of their members united for the final vote.

In the end they did.

Now, Congressional Democrats face one more major challenge: merging two the House's and the Senate's two different reform package, so that each chamber can pass the same bill. That merging process kicked of behind the scenes weeks ago, but will begin in earnest in the days ahead, and could last several weeks.

If the two chambers can strike a deal, as seems likely, the resulting product would vastly expand the role and responsibilities of the federal government. It would, as lawmakers said repeatedly in the debate, touch the lives of nearly all Americans. 

President Obama will make a statement at 8:45 am ET

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today joined The National Anti-Hunger Organizations (NAHO) to release the Roadmap to End Childhood Hunger in America by 2015. The report outlines nine priorities to address President Obama’s goal of ending child hunger in the U.S. by 2015.

“No child should go hungry,” Brown, chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition and Family Farms said. “But during these challenging economic times, more parents are struggling to feed their children. We all share a responsibility to end childhood hunger. Success will require a coordinated response between the government, private, and non-profit sectors. This roadmap should serve to remind us of the work ahead.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported last month that, as hunger increased in 2008, the number of children in food-insecure households rose by 4.2 million to 16.7 million. Nearly one in four U.S. children is now at-risk of hunger, living in families that struggle to put food on the table. These 2008 figures represent the highest rate of food insecurity since these surveys were initiated in 1995. According to USDA, more than 500,000 families experienced hunger multiple times over the course of the year.

NAHO’s Roadmap recommends increasing economic opportunity, bolstering income supports, and strengthening the nutritional safety net. In addition, the Roadmap also includes a list of "Immediate Steps" that translates report recommendations into priority actions to be undertaken right away.

One of those steps is the reauthorization of child nutrition programs, up for renewal in 2010. In June, Sens. Brown, Robert P. Casey (D-PA), and Michael F. Bennet (D-CO) introduced the Hunger Free Schools Act which would improve and expand access to the school lunch program for needy children, promote direct certification, and reduce paperwork and administrative costs. The legislation would help more families enroll in the national school lunch program, one of the most important programs designed to alleviate childhood hunger.

Specifically the legislation would:

• Improve state performance in enrolling eligible children in school lunch programs by setting a performance standard (95 percent of students required to be directly certified for school lunch programs should be reached) and providing incentives to high performance schools;

• Expand access to child nutrition programs by requiring school districts to utilize data from Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to directly certify more students for free school meals; and

• Achieve universal access for high poverty schools by allowing schools or districts serving a high proportion of low-income children to offer free lunches to all students.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that Parsley is claiming to be the victim of a "demonically inspired financial attack":

The Rev. Rod Parsley, megapastor and televangelist, has issued a desperate plea for money, telling his flock that he is facing a "demonically inspired financial attack" that is threatening his ministry.

Parsley is asking for donations by Dec. 31, calling that date an "unavoidable deadline" during an episode of Breakthrough posted yesterday on www.rodparsley.com. Breakthrough is Parsley's television show.

A message titled "Crisis -- Urgent" on the Web site says ministries such as Breakthrough and World Harvest Bible College are "in jeopardy."

The headline of the appeal for donations reads: "Will you help me take back what the devil stole?"

When asked to comment, Parsley's World Harvest Church issued a statement saying the recession caused a decline in member giving in 2009, which has led to a fourth-quarter deficit of $3 million despite a 30 percent reduction in the budget.

This year, the church settled for $3.1 million with a family whose son was spanked at its day-care center in 2006, to the point his buttocks and legs were covered with welts and abrasions.

The boy, then 2, said he was spanked with a "knife" by a substitute teacher. His parents, Michael and Lacey Faieta, believe it was a ruler.

The Faietas said the payment was made this year. During yesterday's Breakthrough broadcast, Parsley referred to a $3 million check he had to write from the ministry.

"The Faieta decision imposed against us earlier this year has made our circumstances more serious," the statement said. No indication was given as to why the money must be raised by Dec. 31 or what specifically could happen if it's not.

The Faietas said Parsley refused to meet personally with them and that the church did not apologize or take accountability for the beating.

The Faietas said today that they had seen Parsley's Web appeal.

Mr. Faieta said he and his wife were "disgusted" and "saddened" by Parsley's words.

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A PROCLAMATION

More than 60 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, declaring the "inherent dignity" and "equal and inalienable rights" of all human beings as the "foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." This self-evident truth guides us today. Although every country and culture is unique, certain rights are universal: the freedom of people -- including women and ethnic and religious minorities -- to live as they choose, speak their minds, organize peacefully and have a say in how they are governed, with confidence in the rule of law. History shows that countries that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, secure, and successful.

In the United States, these fundamental rights are the core of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights. They are the values that define us as a people, the ideals that challenge us to perfect our union, and the liberties that generations of Americans have fought to preserve at home and abroad. Indeed, fidelity to our fundamental values is one of America's greatest strengths and the reason we stand in solidarity with those who seek these rights, wherever they live.

Human Rights Day, Bill of Rights Day, and Human Rights Week must be our call to action. As Americans, we must keep striving to live up to our founding ideals. As a Nation, the United States will always side with the innocent whose rights are denied, the oppressed who yearn for equality, and all those around the world who strive for freedom. As members of what President Franklin Roosevelt called "the human community," we will never waver in our pursuit of the rights, dignity, and security of every human being.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 10, 2009, as Human Rights Day; December 15, 2009, as Bill of Rights Day; and the week beginning December 10, 2009, as Human Rights Week. I call upon the people of the United States to mark these observances with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Representative Dennis Kucinich

“America is in the fight of its life and that fight is not in Afghanistan -- its here. We are deeply in debt. Our GDP is down. Our manufacturing is down. Our savings are down. The value of the dollar is down. Our trade deficit is up. Business failures are up. Bankruptcies are up.  

“The war is a threat to our national security.  We’ll spend over one $100 billion next year to bomb a nation of poor people while we reenergize the Taliban, destabilize Pakistan, deplete our army and put more of our soldiers’ lives on the line.  Meanwhile, back here in the USA, 15 million people are out of work. People are losing their jobs, their health care, their savings, their investments, and their retirement security. $13 trillion in bailouts for Wall Street, trillions for war; when are we going to start taking care of things here at home?”

How can anyone argue with the truth?