News & Politics

Every Bus and Train in DC Has a Seat Reserved for Rosa Parks Today

It's a tribute to the civil rights pioneer's birthday.

Photograph courtesy WMATA.

There’s a seat reserved for Rosa Parks on every Metrobus and Metrorail train today. February 4 is the birthday of the civil rights legend, who died in 2005. WMATA has previously dedicated seats to Parks on buses to celebrate her birthday, but the transit agency added them to trains this year.

Parks sparked the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott in 1955, when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Her legacy in DC goes beyond desegregation—she was a frequent visitor to the city and the Mansion on O Street was her home away from home during her later years.

WMATA owns a 1957 bus dedicated to Parks. It’s the same model as the vehicle where she initiated her protest.

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Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.