Remembering Rosa Parks

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- My whitetail deer hunt at the Buckmaster's annual get-together was over, and I was sitting in the Montgomery airport several years ago waiting for my flight to Detroit. I sat back wearily, thought of the buck I'd shot, and remembered some of the celebrities and sports stars I'd met.

It was a winding-down process, and I was looking forward to returning home. All of a sudden, the airport waiting area for the Detroit departure filled with police officers. A little and elderly African-American lady walked slowly into the departure area, and was immediately surrounded by many of the people in her entourage.

I nudged a man sitting next to me, and asked: "What's going on? Who is the elderly black lady that everyone seems to be guarding?"

Her name was Rosa Parks, a black lady who kicked the civil rights movement into gear.

Deep down, I thought I knew who she was. The man told me her name was Rosa Parks, the woman who had pioneered the civil rights movement, first in the southern states and then across the country.

Everything clicked into place. She had refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus on Dec. 1, 1955. It was the spark that brought civil rights to the forefront of this nation, and at the age of 42, it was a giant step for anyone to take. Her defiance jump-started a period of hatred and racist actions, and when it ended, the African-American people had fought a war to win the rights guaranteed them by our country’s constitution.

The plane was refueled, and Rosa Parks and her entourage boarded first. There weren't many people flying to Detroit that day, and I was the last to board. I didn't want to hold up anyone from getting to their seat.

I walked down the aisle, stopped at her seat as her bodyguards stood around her. I wanted to say "hello."

"Ms. Parks, my name is Dave Richey and I want to shake the hand of a strong woman who helped bring her people the same freedoms and ideals as white people have had. I wanted to thank you for everything you have done to make this world a better place for all of us."

She knew who I was and the newspaper I worked for.

"Mr. Richey, do you by chance, work for The Detroit News?" she softly asked.

"Yes, ma’am, I do."

"Well, Mr. Richey, although I don't fish or hunt, I have read your Outdoor Page on many occasions. I want to thank you for your sincere thoughts. I'm from Montgomery, Alabama, and know the deer hunting is very good around here. Have you been hunting?"

I assured her that I had been hunting midway between Montgomery and Selma at the Southern Sportsman's land near Haynesville. I also told her that many of the deer taken on this hunt had been given to help feed some of the less fortunate black people in the area.

"That was very kind of you and the other hunters," she said. "I wish you safe travel to Detroit and beyond, and thank you for being so kind as to stop by for a brief chat."

She offered me a thin hand that felt as light and soft as a feather, and with a brief handshake, I found my seat and we were on our way. I spent time on the plane thinking of this frail woman who had defied a white man on a bus so many years before, and what that small act of courage and defiance had led to.

I don't know if Rosa Parks knew what the consequences of her actions would lead to or that she would become known as the pioneer of the civil rights movement. She had become world famous, and I shall always remember my two minutes of pleasant conversation on an airplane with this grand and elegant woman.

She fought a good and just fight for her people, and for white, red or yellow people as well. Folks of all colors should salute the pioneer who passed away several years ago at the age of 92 years. She fought a landmark battle that has helped shape the future of this country and all of its people.

Remembering this courageous woman, and what she did, is still a high point in my life.

God Bless all people of just and moral courage. Rosa Parks’ spunk will  never be forgotten by many in this land, and I shall never forget the little old lady who knew my name and that I was an outdoor writer who worked for her hometown newspaper.

This has nothing to do with fishing, and only a brief mention of hunting, but it was the right time and perhaps the right place to meet the woman who had the courage and conviction to kick the civil rights movement into gear. I shall always cherish the memory of that kind and tiny little lady who did so much for her people and this country.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors