In December 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks made history by standing up to unjust segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man—a courageous act that helped launch the now-famous Montgomery bus boycott. In the years that followed, Parks was often characterized as a seamstress who was simply tired after a long day. However, Parks wasn’t tired from work—she was tired of being mistreated! While Parks is best known for that brave act of resistance, her activism spanned decades—and she continues to be a role model for rebel girls throughout the world today. [This episode originally aired June 2021.]
About the Narrator
Anita Hill grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, the youngest of 13 children. She graduated from Oklahoma State University and received her J.D. from Yale Law School. Starting her career in Washington, D.C., Hill worked in private practice as well as at the Education Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In 1989, Hill, was the first African American tenured at the University of Oklahoma, College of Law. Currently, she teaches courses on gender, race, policy and law at Brandeis University and serves as counsel to the law firm of Cohen, Milstein, Sellers and Toll, where she advises on class action discrimination cases. Professor Hill leads the Hollywood Commission working with entertainment industry companies and unions to eradicate harassment, discrimination and power abuse. She serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations and has authored a variety of publications, offered television and radio commentary, and presented to hundreds of audiences around the globe
Credits
This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls and is based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was produced by Isaac Kaplan-Woolner. Sound design and mixing by Camille Stennis. This episode was written by Alexis Stratton and proofread by Simi Kadirgamar. Executive Producer is Katie Sprenger. A big thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team who make this show possible! Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi. For more, visit www.rebelgirls.com. Until next time, stay REBEL!