The Rosa Parks Story

-Wait now. She's coming. She's coming.

-Woman: Oh, the newspapers, Rosie...

Man: Rosa, they're waiting.

-Man: The editor of "Look" magazine is here

with his photographer.

Man: Everybody's with you.

Woman: Rosie, you can do this.

-Nixon: It's time. -Woman: Rosie,

you should just do it.

-Rosie, you don't have to do this...

if you don't want to.

I know.

-Man: We're behind you on this, Rosa.

-Woman 1: We believe in you. Go out there.

Woman 2: You can do this.

-Man: Clear the way, folks. Clear the way.

-Woman: Rosa, what were you thinking

when you refused to give up your seat?

Man: Was it a setup?

-Please, back up. Please, back up.

-Woman: Rosa, why did you do it?

Take us around the park.

-Photographer: Miss Parks, give us a smile.

Yeah, okay.

Photographer: All right.

We'll set up for another one.

Mrs. Parks? All right.

Mrs. Parks?

Rosa?

Rosa? Rosa?

- -Young Sylvester: Rosie?

Rosie? Oh, look at the girls here.

I wish I was going here.

Leona: Rosie? Rosie.

Rosie, come on now, baby.

Careful stepping off the trolley.

-Girls : ...to see the elephants, elephants, elephants

jump over the fence, fence, fence...

Leona: Rosie,

you be sure and behave yourself now

and pay attention. -

-Yes, ma'am. -Miss White's school costs money.

Yes, ma'am.

-Speak only when you're spoken to.

Teacher asks a question,

you know the answer, open your mouth.

Don't be shy.

Let her know what a smart little girl

her new student is, right, baby?

-Yes, ma'am. -Go on, they're expecting you.

Girl: It'll be so fun.

-Girls : ...cents, cents, cents, to see the elephants, elephants...

-Girls: Good morning, Miss White.

Good morning, girls.

We have a new pupil joining us today,

Rosa McCauley.

You can sit right back there.

-Miss Barton: Thank you, Miss White.

-Miss Barton: I need to see everyone's eyes

up front, please.

Thank you.

-Girl: You're from the country, aren't you?

Pine Level.

I've heard of that.

I don't know where it is, but I heard of it.

I'm Rebecca Daniels. You can call me Johnnie.

So, what do you think about Miss White's School so far?

-It's a lot different from what I'm used to.

-Bet this is the first time you was ever in a schoolroom

with desk to write on and glass in the windows?

And you never seen a chalkboard before

or had a white teacher?

How do you know all of this?

-Only country girls eat tomato sandwiches.

-Miss Barton: Please pass your tests forward.

Rowena, did you not do well on your test?

-I never do well, Miss Barton. I'm too stupid.

Rowena, you are not stupid.

-I don't know why we're bothering

with all this reading and arithmetic

when all we gonna end up doing for jobs is

washing somebody's clothes and wiping

their baby's snotty noses.

-Does anybody want to answer Rowena's question?

-Miss Barton: Rosa, why do we bother?

-We bother so we can be equal to everybody else.

-We're not equal to everybody else.

We're not equal to white folks.

-I was raised to believe if I put my mind to it,

I can do whatever I want in this world.

I was taught no one's better than me,

no man, no woman, black or white.

No one.

-If white folks say-- -Rosa: No one.

A person can take everything from you, even your life,

but they can't take your dignity.

Can't nobody take that from you, but you.

That's what my grandpappy told me,

and I believe him.

-If you learn nothing else at Mrs. White's School,

may the Blessed Lord help you remember

what Rosa just taught you.

-Rosa: Amen, girl. Forget Tuskegee

and you can keep Birmingham, too.

-Woman: But you ain't been nowhere else, Rosie.

Rosa: That's all right.

Because I love living in Montgomery.

Woman: Rosa? Rosa?

Oh, yes, ma'am?

How is your mother?

She's doing fair.

-I'm coming over to see her real soon, hear.

Yes, ma'am.

Bye-bye.

Rosa: Bye.

Raymond: "We wear the mask

"that grins and lies.

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes."

Man: Mm-hmm.

-"This debt we pay to human guile,

with torn and bleeding hearts we smile."

Parks,

don't let me have to take that straight razor

out your hands.

-What? -

-Those are the words of Paul Laurence Dunbar.

Man: Who?

A great Negro poet.

-Man: Must be one of them...

Girl: Oh no!

We're working against time

to get the Scottsboro boys freed.

-Oh, at least they're off death row.

The overseas newspapers

are starting to make a ruckus about it.

Isn't the NAACP trying--

-The NAACP is just a bunch of scared old men

who blow hot and cold.

It's gonna take money to help those boys.

A lot of it,

so I'm working with a group here in Montgomery

trying to raise it.

-That's dangerous business, Parks.

- -

-Raymond: Yeah, maybe. -Man: Oh, what he's doing now?

-Man: Parks' trying to rob the cradle.

Those are high school girls.

-What about the one in the purple sweater?

I never seen her before.

Maybe she's new.

From where I stand, brother,

she looks better than new.

- -Man: Uh-huh.

Oh, hello, hello.

-Raymond: Hello, there, ladies. Yeah.

Fanny: Hello, Parks.

-No need to stand out in the rain.

All right.

-It'd be a crying shame to get that pretty sweater all wet.

It's just water.

It'll dry.

-Under that bright and sunny smile,

I'm sure it will.

There's some newspapers.

Take home what you like.

Negro newspapers may be hard to come by,

but not in this shop.

We got the "Crises"-- -Isn't he cute?

-Who? -Fanny: Parks, girl.

Raymond Parks.

"The Chicago Defender."

-He too light skinned for my taste.

-Fanny: Well, he just right for mine.

- -

-Fanny: They say he's working with the Scottsboro boys

legal defense fund.

-Really? -Raymond: Life...

is about facing danger, my friends,

about taking risks.

We have to stand up for what's right

even if we have to put our lives

on the line. -Mm-hmm.

-Raymond: The way I see it, every Negro in this town

should be behind supporting those Scottsboro boys.

They need money for their legal defense fund.

Man: Mm-hmm.

-And I have the address right here

where you can make your contribution.

- -

-Fanny: Oh, that's the shop owner.

Let's go.

-Annie: I'm just gonna go home and do my schoolwork.

-Rosa: Maybe we should leave.

We don't have any business being in here.