Rosa Parks' legacy honored with a reserved seat in every Milwaukee Co. bus

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- All 318 Milwaukee County buses will reserve a seat this Friday and throughout the first weekend of December with a red rose and a special sign honoring Rosa Parks and her iconic story, for the eighth consecutive year.

Nearly 70 years later, we are still honoring and remembering the legacy of two Civil Rights leaders--Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin-- who paved the way to how we live our life today.

"It's important to know where we've been to know where we need to go," said Kevina Vann, manager of diversity, equity and inclusion at Milwaukee County Transit System. "When we think about the legacy of Rosa Parks, what we're thinking about is her courage and resilience."

A lesser-known Civil Rights leader is also being remembered. Just nine months before Parks' famous act, at age 15, Claudette Colvin also refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Alabama and was arrested.

Vann says that without these women, we likely would not be here today.

"As a woman of color to be afforded the opportunities that I've been afforded, I know it's because of the movement."

Parks' defiance on Dec. 1, 1955, at the age of 42, triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott where Black residents refused to use the bus system for 381 days. It is considered the first large-scale U.S. demonstration against segregation.

"The love and courage that they demonstrated will live on forever and it's up to us to continue that," Vann added.

MCTS is also offering three scholarships of $1000 to graduating seniors attending a university, college or trade school in the Fall.

For more information on MCTS scholarship opportunities, click here.