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The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development is a fitting chapter in a life made famous by a simple, self-respecting act. Co-founded by the petite woman who touched off a civil rights firestorm, the institute seeks to instill the hallmarks of Rosa Parks' legacy: history, self-discipline and quiet strength.
In 1987, Mrs. Parks and I, a longtime friend of hers, created the institute to honor Mrs. Parks' late husband, Raymond, who died in 1977. Today, the institute is internationally known for its Pathways to Freedom, a program for young people that traces the physical and philosophical path of the civil rights movement. About 150 young people from around the world participate in Pathways each summer.
The purpose of the institute is to motivate and direct youth not targeted by other programs to achieve their highest potential. Young participants, ages 11 to 17, meet with Mrs. Parks and other national leaders. Those who take the annual bus journey follow aspects of civil rights history, from the Underground Railroad to the Freedom Riders.
"It's a research program," says Anita Peek, executive director of the institute. "The bus trip is part of the research. We focus on a different pathway each year. One year it was the Buffalo Soldiers."
Today, the institute has chapters in several places, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Canada, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, New York and Tennessee. In metro Detroit, institute programs are held in a variety of locations, including Mrs. Parks former home on Detroit's west side, the Detroit and Highland Park YWCAs, the William Walker Recreation Center and area churches.
Although not all institute participants join the summer Pathways to Freedom trip, institute classes are considered preparation for the ride. Programs are positive, emphasizing substance abuse prevention, etiquette, nutrition, banking skills, life skills and reading comprehension. Another program enlists young people to teach computer skills to senior citizens.
"A lot of times, young people don't have patience for seniors or vice versa, " Ms. Peek says. "But they're patient when they have a task." Ultimately, all of the institute's programs are designed to endow young people with the skills necessary to work for the cause of human rights.
The institute is a nonprofit organization and its programs are open to all children. The address of the Detroit office of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development is 65 Cadillac Square, Suite 2200, Detroit, MI 48226.
The Troy State University Montgomery
Rosa Parks Library and Museum
The Rosa Parks Library and Museum gives visitors an opportunity to learn about the event that began the famous Montgomery bus boycott. Where once only a marker and an abandoned building existed, a state-of-the-art interactive museum now stands. A major landmark in the revitalization of downtown Montgomery, the museum was built on the site of the old Empire Theatre where Rosa Parks made her historic stand in 1955. The interpretive museum, with a 103 seat auditorium, occupies the first floor of a three-story, 55,000 square foot building that also houses the TSUM Library. Exhibits tell of the courage of early civil rights activists and include a restored 1955 station wagon, a replica of the bus on which Mrs. Parks was sitting that day, and historical documents loaned from the city. For tours, call (334) 241-8661. A librarian on duty at The Troy State University Montgomery Library assists patrons with research and reference needs at 251 Montgomery St, Montgomery, AL 36104. Email: library@tsum.edu.
Image 1: Elaine Eason Steele.
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