A memorial in memory of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks will be on display today at the entry-way of the Brown-Lupton Student Center as a joint project of Chi Upsilon Sigma and Delta Sigma Theta.”We felt that a display would be an appropriate act to do for this amazing woman,” Roxanna Latifi, president of Chi Upsilon Sigma, said. “We also believe this is something we should not overlook, so I thought this would be a nice tribute to highlight her wonderful accomplishments.”
Latifi, a senior news-editorial major and columnist for the Skiff, said the display was simply an inexpensive thought, and then she invited other organizations to participate in the planning of the commemorative acknowledgement.
“At the beginning of this month, we gathered at meetings to brainstorm all that we had in mind to do,” Latifi said. “It was from that point when everything fell in place.”
The groups delegated responsibilities, and three weeks later the project was complete.
“There were individual tasks for us take part in, and towards the end we collaborated all of our findings to complete the finished product,” Latifi said. “Honestly, it was made with love, after all we did this to show our appreciation of a woman who made a difference for all of us today.”
Ramell Smith, president of Delta Sigma Theta, said the memorial includes items such as pictures of the bus Parks was a passenger on, newspaper articles about the bus boycott and transcripts that are dated just days after Parks was jailed.
“This is a wonderful way to honor her and give the campus an opportunity to look at the incidents that took place during a revolution that has changed our lives,” Smith said. “The memorial gives you a sense of reality, and our goal was to push her message to stand up for what you believe in.”
Fallon Lockett, a senior business management major, said it was the organization’s way of taking an initiative to offer an informative and in-depth showcase about her legacy.
“An awareness is what we wanted to focus on, and this was the least we could do for her,” Lockett said. “This was definitely created in an appreciative way to show everyone campus-wide that Rosa Parks will always be remembered for her courageous acts.
