From the National Archives, here is a link to the arrest record of Rosa Parks, December 1, 1955
February is African American History Month
At Light Up Hope we believe all people are created equal and that no person should be denied their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or economic status. Clearly these are values held strong in the American psyche, but they cross political boundaries and should be true for people of all nations. What drives us as an organization is the awareness that there are millions of African orphans who are denied these basic human rights every day. They are denied the resources to guarantee life (basic medical care, clean water and an adequate diet), they are denied fair representation in their local governments, and they are denied the pursuit of happiness when they are denied families by governments and government agencies that hold back adoption and family services to the millions of orphans in East Africa alone, not to mention the millions of orphans worldwide.
Today we are honoring Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was just one woman who stood up to a system of injustice. She did her part to cause a shift of change in the storm of segregation. It is our great HOPE that as an organization we will similarly be a glimmer of change in the lives of orphans in East Africa. We may not change the world on our own, but we will, like Rosa Parks, stand firm and fight for what is just. And we might just change the lives of some children in East Africa while we are at it!