Watson Coleman: “the passing of Rosa Parks is an important occasion for us to remember her life and understand in a deeper way how…”

“the passing of Rosa Parks is an important occasion for us to remember her life and understand in a deeper way how history changes America. While we grieve the loss for her family, every American should be grateful that someone like her lived among us. As we look at the challenges and injustices of the world around us, we often ask the question: how can we change the world? I think we often look in the wrong place for change. We look to big government, big business, big entertainment or big publishing to bring about change. But when we look at history, almost every big change started small. The arrival of a few dozen Pilgrims on the North American continent was not newsworthy in 1620. I doubt that the battles of Lexington and Concord made the London Times in April of 1775. The arrival of Dred Scott at Ft. Snelling in the free territory of Minnesota was not a big local event. But all three were part of something historically big that changed the world and our lives dramatically. The Pilgrims created a fabulously idealistic vision of a new form of society which attempted to rise above corruption and create a ``shining city on a hill.'' The farmers and townspeople of eastern Massachusetts challenged the world's great superpower from behind stone walls and groves of oak trees.…”