Massachusetts Celebrates First Official Rosa Parks Day

 Massachusetts Celebrates First Official Rosa Parks Day  

BOSTON – For the first time in Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey officially designated February 4 as Rosa Parks Day, in celebration of Rosa Parks’ birthday and in honor of her enduring legacy advocating for racial equality and inspiring change.  

“In a courageous act of protest 70 years ago, Rosa Parks made a choice that changed the course of our nation’s history and inspired a movement that coined her ‘Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,’” said Governor Maura Healey. “Her bravery set us on a path toward a more equitable and just country. We are proud to officially recognize Rosa Parks Day in Massachusetts to honor her legacy and remind ourselves of the obligation we have to protect the rights and freedoms on all of our residents.” 

“Today would have been Rosa Parks’ 112th birthday, and this year marks 70 years since she made the choice to sit at the front of the bus. Her actions sparked a revolution that put a long-overdue end to segregation in our country,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Every day, we work to honor Rosa Parks’ legacy and in recognizing her birthday as Rosa Parks Day, we will make sure that her contributions are honored through generations to come.” 

“We are in a time where so much of our rich history is under attack. I am so grateful to the Governor for her dedication to celebrate, honor, and to never forget the people who stood up for human dignity,” said Senator Lydia Edwards (D – Boston). “Rosa Parks personifies resistance and strength. She reminds us that everyday people can do their part for justice." 

"I’m proud to have worked alongside my colleagues in the legislature, particularly Representative Kip Diggs and Senator Lydia Edwards to sponsor and pass, an act relative to Rosa Parks Day,” said Representative Michael Kushmerek (D-Fitchburg). “This day will bring greater awareness to the heroic actions of Rosa Parks during the Civil Rights Movement. It will also serve as both an inspiration and reminder that during some of our nation’s darkest hours, she and many of her fellow civil rights leaders found hope and optimism for more prosperous and inclusive future.” 

“Rosa Parks’ courage wasn’t only historic—it set a standard for us today,” said Representative Kip Diggs (D-Barnstable). “Her bravery reminds us that standing up for what’s right isn’t easy - it is as important right now as it ever was then.”  

“There is only so much one person can do to affect social transformation in the world,” said Rev. Wil Darcangelo, Minister of the First Church of Lancaster, Unitarian Universalist, who was instrumental in advocating for the bill. “So few of us are truly in a position to cultivate major change on our own. But each of us is capable of at least some act of kindness and honor that might work in favor of the world we wish to see. This annual state recognition will not save the world, but it will have its energetic impact nonetheless. And hopefully the annual recognition of this woman, who has personally inspired me so much, will create at least a small social impact in service of racial justice and awareness of civil rights history in the United States. My calling as a Unitarian minister compels me to seek out ways in which I can do that, especially now when we need it so much.” 

Last year, Governor Healey signed An Act Designating February 4 as Rosa Parks Day into law and today, she issued the state’s first official proclamation recognizing the day. 

This action follows additional efforts by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to address and promote racial equity, including establishing the Governor’s Advisory Council on Black Empowerment, signing maternal health bill and wage transparency bill into law, and establishing historic clemency guidelines to center fairness and equity in the criminal justice system.