Laketran Saves A Front Seat On Buses To Honor Rosa Parks

Laketran driver Monica Evans joins the tribute to honor Rosa Parks.

Laketran (Lake County, OH), with NAACP of Lake County, honored the life and legacy of Rosa Parks by reserving a front seat on buses during the early part of February, in honor of the civil rights icon who sparked the Montgomery, AL, bus boycott.

Born on February 4, Rosa Parks’ act of defiance for refusing to give up her bus seat, to make room for a white passenger on a segregated Montgomery city bus, redirected the course of human rights in America.

Known as the “Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement,” Parks’ arrest started a yearlong bus boycott.  Parks’ courage began a movement that ended legal segregation in America, and made her an inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere.

“The basic freedoms of equality and access are principles that Laketran firmly embraces, and the foundation of public transportation,” Laketran CEO Ben Capelle said. “Rosa Parks relied on the bus to get her to work, shopping and educational facilities, and that is no different from what people rely on us to do today in Lake County. We hope the community will join us onboard to honor her.”

Aligning with the start of Black History Month, Laketran reserved the front seat on its buses from February 1 through February 4 with a commemorative sign that read, “Reserved in honor of Rosa Parks. It all started on a bus. Laketran & NAACP of Lake County honor the courage of Rosa Parks and her vision for equal access for all.”

“We encourage people to take time to ride a Laketran bus and take a selfie next to the seat reserved for Rosa Parks, to bring awareness to Black History Month,” Pam Morse, Vice President of the NAACP of Lake County, said during the tribute. “This provides an opportunity to remember our history and progress as a country.”

The NAACP of Lake County offered free All-Day bus passes to those interested in riding Laketran during the Rosa Parks’ tribute.