• Listen to this segment

Supreme Court Rules Against Segregated Buses

Back in the day on November 13th, 1956, the United States Supreme Court ruled against segregated seating on public buses in Montgomery, Alabama. Affirming a federal court ruling on Browder v. Gayle, the decision was a victory for the longstanding Montgomery Bus Boycott that had begun the year before. Organizers had been planning to challenge the southern city’s segregationist policy, when Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1st, 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person. Five days later, an overwhelming number of African-Americans heeded the call to stay off the public buses in protest. A campaign quickly took shape as the Montgomery Improvement Association was formed to carry out the ensuing boycott with a young Baptist minister named Martin Luther King Jr. appointed as president. Adherents organized carpools or walked to work rather than break the boycott as the MIA challenged the segregationist policy in court.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott would be called off in the month following the Supreme Court ruling. As Dr. King said “it is more honorable to walk in dignity than ride in humiliation.” Now someone go tell Rush to hush…

For Uprising, this is your truth professa’ saying it’s no mystery why they conceal our people’s history