Rosa Parks

Just before bedtime, my daughter asked me about Rosa Parks and whether she broke the law. I said she did. Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955 during the era of segregation. Montgomery segregation laws created white and black sections on buses, and if the white section was full, white passengers could take the seats of black passenger and force them to the back of the bus. Rosa Parks violated Montgomery law when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.

My daughter asked if Rosa Parks was wrong in breaking the law. I said no, she was not wrong because the law was wrong and not Rosa Park's actions. God's law is above a "bad" human-made law, and the segregation law was a "bad" human-made law, I explained. God made all of us as part of divine creation, and human-made law that is in conflict with God's plan is not a law that needs to be obeyed, I said. I was glad my daughter asked about this important aspect of U.S. history, and I hope she understands that "right" and "wrong" goes beyond the mere existence of a law and delves into the purpose of the law.