Roza Park was a black woman living in Montgomery, Alabama and making a living as a tailor. She got out of work one evening and got on the bus and sat in the black spot. It was stifling air outside, and Roza leaned her head against the window and tried to relieve the tiredness of the day. She soon noticed a white man heading towards her and beckoning her to get up. As a matter of fact, according to the law in force in the country, the first rows of the buses were reserved for whites and the last rows were reserved for blacks, and if a white person was standing, the black had to get up and give him a place. Blacks had to squeeze into the space reserved for them in the back, they could not sit, they could stand even if there was a space in the area reserved for whites. This racist fascist practice caused intense anger among blacks, who were seen as an inactive thing, and people were in a position to take action with a small spark. Roza's resistance to the white person who asked for a seat on the bus by saying "no" turned into a spark for the masses, who knew with anger, and protest demonstrations broke out all over the country.
The anger that accumulated in the hearts of individuals who were excluded, despised, and thrown away like an old item in all areas of life, turned into resistance with the courage of a woman, and blacks took action for the return of their violated rights. Roza did not go out on the streets with a gun in her hand, but showed an attitude that shot into the hearts of the racist fascists and said "NO".
The white man was stunned, faced with a situation he had never experienced before. How could a black woman dare to do such a thing? Who was the woman getting power from? This was unacceptable, the driver of the bus immediately stood up and tried to persuade the woman to accommodate the white man… Roza was determined, she said “No” and was arrested, questioned and fined for allegedly disturbing public order.
The "NO" statement that rose from the heart of Roza Park encouraged the masses who were exposed to racism and discrimination, and resistance movements emerged all over the country, blacks raised their voices against the discrimination experienced to the end. People who took to the streets with the slogans of no to discrimination, no to racism, shook the strongholds of oppression and continued their resistance, they boycotted the bus for 381 days, walked to their business, and Roza's justification turned into a force that would end the legal discrimination against blacks in the USA.
A person who was at the center of the resistance movements that started after the incident Roza Park experienced on the bus drew attention. Trying to calm the public, Martin Luther King became the dynamo of the protests and tried to direct the insurgents, but he was soon arrested. Despite the intensification of the repression, the masses never gave up their demand for justice, continued their resistance, and finally, the civil peoples law in 1964 and the black voting law in 1965 were passed.
Another name that stood out with his attitude towards racism and the effect he left on the masses during this period was Malcolm X. Malcolm X, who was honored with Islam in prison and went to the Kaaba to perform his pilgrimage, realized that racism is a morbid situation that Islam strongly forbids, and said, "Racism is not an ideological thought, but a psychological disease," and brought people together on the axis of Islamic brotherhood. had fought for. But the effect he left on the masses was remarkable and he was martyred.
Roza Park's resistance was one word: "NO!"
In a world where our managers and leaders could not take a stand against the demands of global dictators and say no, she raised her voice to the fullest and shouted "NO". I think that all oppressed societies and those who govern them today need to model this determination and courage shown by Roza.