LOUISVILLE, Ky. — All month long, the Transportation Authority of River City is saving a seat on every bus to honor Rosa Parks and her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.
TARC said each seat will feature a sign reminding passengers of Parks’ legacy and how she changed history on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.
“Public transit is intertwined with the history of the Civil Rights Movement,” said Ozzy Gibson, TARC executive director. “I’m proud TARC continues to honor that legacy and the legacy of Rosa Parks.”
The #SaveaSeat signs will have QR codes directing passengers to Olmsted Parks Conservancy and their efforts at restoring the Chickasaw Park tennis courts, TARC said. It is believed to be the only park in the country created by the Olmsted Firm for the Black community during segregation.
TARC also announced the following initiatives in honor of Black History Month:
- Partner with Spalding University to offer 200 Jefferson County students fare-free travel to the university’s Feb. 18 Elmer Lucille Allen Conference. The conference will feature Allen, the first African American chemist hired at Brown-Forman in 1966. More details are available on Spalding University’s website.
- Feature videos of local Black trailblazers, such as Allen and TARC’s own Alyce French-Johnson, in addition to Spalding University’s conference on “Environmental Injustice in the Black Community”
- Share information and opportunities to support Black-owned businesses
Check out ridetarc.org for more details on these efforts.
