- St. Stephen's De La Salle BNS

By refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus in 1955, simply because she was not white, seamstress Rosa Parks helped to start the civil rights movement in the United States. The leaders of the local black community organized a bus boycott after Rosa was convicted of violating the segregation laws - laws which said that white people and African Americans had to be kept separated. Led by a young Martin Luther King Jr, the bus boycott lasted more than a year.

Mr. Russell's 5th Class went to visit Carrickphierish library on Wednesday, September 20th, to hear a talk and learn more about Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement. It was an excellent talk, and really showed the senselessness of the segregation laws. The talk included seats set in a bus format, which really brought the point home too. The boys had a great time (including getting the lovely jelly babies!) and learned lots about Rosa and how different the world was in 1955. See photos in the gallery below (or see the photos in a slideshow if you'd prefer that!):