Thread by @ZinnEdProject

#tdih 1955 🧵Montgomery Bus Boycott began.

Powerful organizing story in U.S. history, yet many people associate it with isolated act by Rosa Parks, without context of Parks’ life of activism; decades of public transportation protest; nor role of WPC. ⬇️
zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/bus-…

The call to action came from a flier produced by Jo Ann Robinson of Women's Political Council (WPC) and a few associates.

They bravely mimeographed tens of thousands of leaflets to distribute across city. Read more at @NMAAHC nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/jo-a… & watch "Eyes on the Prize."

This wasn't 1st protest against discrimination on public transportation. In 1955, Claudette Colvin & other woman took a stand.

For more than a century, there were hundreds of acts of civil disobedience & other protests. This is not a single story. See ⬇️
civilrightsteaching.org/desegregation/…

Young people can read about brave teenager Claudette Colvin (member of @NAACP Youth Council) in book below & in YA book "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks" by @JeanneTheoharis & @brandycolbert (described in this 🧵.)
zinnedproject.org/materials/clau…

"In truth, Montgomery Bus Boycott was a protest against racial and sexual violence, and Rosa Parks’ arrest was but one act in a life devoted to the protection & defense of Black people generally, and Black women specifically." via @dmcguire13
Read more ⬇️
werehistory.org/rosa-parks/

Out of Montgomery’s 50,000 African American residents, 30,000-40,000 participated in the boycott.

For 381 days, they walked or bicycled or car-pooled, depriving bus company of a substantial portion of its revenue.

Read gripping "Daybreak of Freedom" ⬇️
zinnedproject.org/materials/dayb…

To maintain boycott, MIA was created.

"Set up elaborate carpool system, designating 40 pickup stations across town. Police & local whites constantly harassed car pool with tickets & violence. But community pressed on."

More via @JeanneTheoharis Read➡️
rosaparksbiography.org/bio/the-boycot…

"One of city tactics to try to derail boycott was to dredge up an old law prohibiting organized boycotts. At end of Feb. 1956, city indicted 89 boycott leaders including Rosa Parks."

More via @JeanneTheoharis at Rosa Parks bio website➡️ rosaparksbiography.org/bio/the-city-t… #odt 1955

There are many key people students can learn about in MBB story.

One is E. D. Nixon -- labor (Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters) and civil rights (@NAACP) leader.

Read here from Encyclopedia of Alabama ➡️
encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1355

#Terrorism "Even after boycott’s successful end, Rosa and Raymond Parks still couldn’t find work [they had both lost their jobs about 5 weeks into boycott] & family continued to get death threats." -- @JeanneTheoharis

Read YA book via @BeaconPressBks zinnedproject.org/materials/rebe…

While there are lots of children's books on Rosa Parks & a few on MBB, there are not many we recommend. Below & YA book above are exceptions, books that tell a people's history of the MBB. First is "Rosa" by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier.
zinnedproject.org/materials/rosa/

We also recommend story of Georgia Gilmore and the "Club from Nowhere," a grassroots project to provide food and raise funds for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

See picture book by⬇️

For teacher background, read "Household Workers Unite" by @premillanadasen zinnedproject.org/materials/pies…

"Freedom Walkers" -- recommended for grades 5+. "Russell Freedman gives accounts of how much coordination and sacrifice went into conducting the MBB . . . using actual recorded words and deeds of the people to tell the story."
zinnedproject.org/materials/free…

To bring this history to classrooms, we offer a free teaching guide for "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks" YA book & the new documentary film. Film is streaming on @peacock, produced by @soledadobrien based on book by @JeanneTheoharis
See below.
zinnedproject.org/teaching-rosa-…

Please help us defend the right of teachers to teach people's history and #TeachOutsideTextbook. The right-wing does not want young people to learn the history in this thread about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. #TeachTruth
zinnedproject.org/donate/