Oxnard—The 40th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day story continues with Keynote Speaker Dr. Gay Theresa Johnson, the Director of the Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy at USCB (University of California, Santa Barbara).
JOHNSON praised Rosa Parks, who stood up to people who insisted that she be in the rear of the bus and was arrested.
“You may do that, Parks said”, as told by Johnson. “She was part of the group of women who refused to give up their seats for over a decade.”
She said many people knew this day would come, and they were prepared for it.
“The organizing is already going on in southern churches, schools, and among workers and allies was already so robust that when the crossroads appeared, Black people were inspired enough and Black people were prepared enough, Black people were organized enough to maintain a boycott of Montgomery buses for an entire year.”
Johnson said they walked to work, they refused to ride, until the Supreme Court was compelled to rule that segregation in public transportation was against the law.
“It’s in these crossroads that Martin Luther King Jr. steps fully into the light,” she said. “He too, was…
