This site, known as "Posey's Parking Lot," served the black community as one of two major transportation centers during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Mrs. Rosa Parks's December 1, 1955 arrest following her refusal to surrender her seat at the order of the white bus driver sparked protests against segregation on the Montgomery City Bus Lines. After city authorities outlawed the use of black taxis as an alternative form of transportation for boycotters, the parking lot, operated by local black business owners, Eddie L. and Dorothy Posey, served as a transportation hub in the midst of the city's black business district. Over 200 sedans and station wagons, dubbed "rolling churches" since many were owned and operated by African-American churches, shuttled some 2,000 black passengers daily over more than a year to work and to shop. On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower federal court decision in Browder vs. Gayle, declaring segregation in city bus seating unconstitutional. Integrated bus service began on December 21, 1956. This parking lot continued to operate until 1967.
Comments 0 comments