Kelly Hannah

Playlist ProIile
Ms. Oster/English

It takes guts..
A Playlist ProIile oI Rosa Parks.


Courage. The one trait that most people strive to posses within their liIetime. We oIten
associate the word courage with the word heroism, and acts oI it. In Rosa Park`s case, however,
one single act oI courage catapulted many changes within our communities, our states, and our
country, and that act has aIIected us still today. Rosa Parks was able to exempliIy the true
meaning oI courage: bravery, Iearlessness, and valiancy, and she did so with class.
As a woman oI color, back in times when the color oI your skin decided your social
ranking, she decided to deIend her rights as a human being and as an American citizen and stood
up against the social norms oI that time (Johnson). She was able to show the world what a small
act oI courage could do, and how it has aIIected our history since then.

Track #1: Respect
Franklin, Aretha. 'Respect. Respect: The Best oI Aretha Franklin. Atlantic, 1967

The song, 'Respect by Aretha Franklin portrays to listeners a woman struggling with trying to
gain respect. AIrican Americans in the 1950`s and 60`s could never get any respect Irom white
people, just because oI their skin color. Many AIrican Americans were searching Ior some way
Ior their voices to be heard, and they Iound that through one woman, Rosa Parks. This song is
the epiphany on the way Rosa Ielt being a woman oI color trying to get by in a white dominant
world.

Track #2: Waitin on the World to Change
Mayer, John. 'Waitin on the World to Change. Room Ior Squares. Columbia, 2007

This song summarizes the wait Ior change. The lyrics that most stand out in this song are, 'now
we see everything that`s going wrong with the world and those who lead it, we just Ieel like we
don`t have the means to rise above and beat it. Those lyrics symbolize what a lot oI AIrican
Americans went through during the period beIore the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks and
every other AIrican American had to Iight against the government, clans, and even neighbors
(Johnson). Rosa Parks was one oI the very Iirst not only AIrican Americans, but an AIrican
American woman who decided to build up the courage and stand up against all oI it.



Track #3: Where is the Love?
Black Eyed Peas. 'Where is the Love? Black Eyed Peas. Ruthless, 2003

This song portrays the central thought and belieI oI the AIrican American people in the 1950`s-
1960`s. The lyrics, '..but iI you only have love Ior your own race then you only leave space to
discriminate and to discriminate only generates hate. I think this coincides perIectly with the
main thought processes behind Rosa Parks. She never strived to have the AIrican American race
more dominant than the white race (Henderson). She strived Ior equality, Iairness, and peace
during a period in our history where those three things did not exist Ior everyone. II Rosa
could`ve had a 'theme song Ior her belieIs I believe that this song would Iit perIectly.


Track #4: Strength, Courage, Wisdom.
India.Arie. 'Strength, Courage, Wisdom. Acoustic Soul. Soul Bird, 2008

From the very beginning oI 'Strength, Courage, Wisdom by India.Arie, it talks about having a
dream and wanting to be able to act on it so bad, yet you know you can`t. Rosa Parks was the
same. Through the majority oI her career as an activist in civil rights, she involved herselI in
various anti-discrimination campaigns, no matter what the consequences were. The lyrics, 'It`s
time to step out on Iaith, I gotta show my Iaith. It`s been illusive Ior Iar too long, but Ireedom is
mine today. When I read those lyrics, I picture Rosa Parks sitting on that bus that day she
reIused to give up her seat to a white man. She Iound courage within her soul to do what was
right.


Track #5: Journey to the Past.
Aaliya. ' Journey to the Past. Anastasia. Blackground, 1997
From the very beginning, 'Journey to the Past by Aaliyah depicts the diIIiculty we all have in
our lives when it comes to making certain decisions. The song says, 'Heart don`t Iail me now,
courage don`t desert me, don`t turn back now that we`re here. People always say, liIe is Iull oI
choices, no one ever mentions Iear. I`m sure there was a time when Iear had crossed Rosa
Park`s mind when she didn`t give up her seat to a white man. Thoughts oI imprisonment, abuse,
or retaliation probably crossed her mind at one point or another, but she decided to 'make the
move despite any possible consequences.


Track #6: Seeds oI a LiIetime
Hall, Kristen. 'Seeds oI a LiIetime. Fact and Fiction. High Street, 1992.

The Iight Ior equal rights was not an easy task Ior AIrican Americans in the 1950`s and 60`s. It
seemed like every march, protest, and appeal to the government would get them nowhere. In the
song, 'Seeds oI a LiIetime by Kristen Hall, the lyrics, 'we've got a long hard row to sow seeds
oI a liIetime courage and devotion growing like a grapevine.. portrays that although their
struggle was diIIicult and long, the beneIits outweighed all their troubles in the end.


Track #7: Declaration
Alarm. 'Declaration. Change. Twenty-Iirst century, 1987

Rosa Parks oIten thought about diIIerent ways to get herselI involved with ending discrimination
in the south. She participated in various groups that Iocused on getting equal rights Ior every
AIrican American. She and her husband, Raymond, took especial interest in the NAACP.
Within that group they worked with the notorious Martin Luther King, Jr. Through her various
involvements, she aspired to inspire AIrican Americans everywhere, and told them that although
it would be a hard tasks, they could succeed. The lyrics, 'Take this song oI Ireedom, put it on
and arm yourselI Ior the Iight, our hearts must have the courage to keep on marching on and on
exempliIy her belieIs in creating equal rights Ior AIrican Americans.


Track #8: Let me Fall
Groban, Josh. 'Let me Fall. Josh Groban. Reprise, 2001.

On one cold December evening in 1955, Rosa Parks was exhausted Irom a long day oI work.
She decided to take a seat on her way home. It was because she decided not to give up her seat
to a white male passenger that caused her to get arrested Ior breaking Alabama`s segregation
laws (Henderson). This act sparked the 381 day boycott oI the bus system and it also sparked the
start oI the Civil Rights Movement. The lyrics to the song, 'Let me Iall expresses the
determination Mrs. Parks had that cold night in December. They say, 'Let me Iall, let me climb,
there's a moment when Iear and dreams must collide. Rosa realized that she needed to do
something no matter what the consequences. She knew that her Iear oI what might happen to her
in result oI breaking the law Ior her dream oI being considered equal, was worth it.




Henderson, Robert. 'Rosa Parks: Biography. Academy oI Achievement. 25 May 2008. 5 Sept.
2008
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1~.

This source is talking about the timeline oI Rosa Park`s liIe and her achievements. It talks about
her beginning years oI starting out in school at the Montgomery Industrial School Ior Girls,
where she Iirst came in contact with a role model, Mrs. McCauley, who told her to take every
opportunity in liIe, no matter how Iew they were. It also talks about how she met her husband
Raymond and their personal involvement with the NAACP organization. It entails various
clippings oI interviews with Rosa Parks voicing her opinions and her views on the happenings
oI that time, which would mainly include discrimination against AIrican Americans.


Johnson-Lewis, Jone. 'Rosa Parks. Women`s History. 17 Mar. 2008. About.com 5 Sept. 2008
http://www.womenshistory.about.com/od/parkrosa/p/parks.htm~.

This source summarizes the 'general things Rosa Parks did or was involved in thru out her
liIetime. It Iirst talks about the various jobs and positions she held Irom a very young age thru
out her more proIessional career choices. She held little jobs such as being a secretary Ior the
NAACP and other various administration work. The article also discloses a brieI summary oI
the act that she is most notorious Ior and that was when she wouldn`t give up her seat on a
segregated Montgomery bus to a white man. She was arrested Ior violating the segregation laws,
but her one act lead to a boycott oI the buses Ior 381 days.


Library oI Congress. "Rosa Parks." America's Story. 8 Sept. 2008. Library oI Congress. 8 Sept.
2008 http://www.americaslibrary.gov/about/notice.html~.

This article summarizes Rosa`s act oI bravery and the aIter math oI that act. By not giving up
her seat to a white man, she was hauled to jail on charges oI violating the state`s law on
segregation between whites and AIrican Americans. The article also includes her various
involvements within the NAACP and her involvement within the Voter`s Leauge, which was a
league solely Iocused on getting women to vote. She is oIten known today as the, 'Mother oI
the Civil Rights Movement.


"Lyrics." Poem Hunter. 12 Sept. 2008. PoemHunter.com. 12 Sept. 2008
http://www.poemhunter.com/~.


Typad, Marian. 'Rosa Parks. Photo. Fancyrobot.com. 3 Sept. 2008. 3 Sept. 2008
https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp://Iancyrobot.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized
/rosaparks~.






Name: Kelly Hannah