Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Song, film celebrate Parks' role

Books, motion pictures and popular music help immortalize civil rights figure's courageous stand.

By Mekeisha Madden Toby / The Detroit News

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For nearly 50 years, civil rights heroine Rosa Parks has been an iconic figure in American history, inspiring books, made-for-TV movies, documentaries and even songs.

Sometimes the work incited debate and Parks' disdain while other projects had her full support and occasionally written contributions from her own pen.

In most cases, artists honored her legacy, refusing to let Parks be forgotten.

Here are the most notable contributions:

Books

"She Would Not Be Moved: How We Tell the Story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott" by Herbert Kohl (New Press, $22.95)

"They Walked To Freedom: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott 1955-1956" by Kenneth M. Hare and Jim Earnhardt (Sports Publishing, $24.95)

"Rosa Parks" by Douglas Brinkley (Penguin Lives, $26.95)

"Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation" by Rosa Parks (Zondervan Publishing House, $9.99)

"A Picture Book of Rosa Parks" by David A. Adler (Holiday House, $6.95)

"Rosa Parks, My Story" by Rosa Parks (Dial Books, $6.99)

Movies

"The Rosa Parks Story" a made-for-TV movie starring actress Angela Bassett as Parks. The role in the 2002 movie earned Bassett an Emmy nomination.

"Rosa Parks: Modern Day Heroine." Ray Pointer directed this documentary produced in the 1970s and released on DVD in 2004.

"Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks," a 2003 VHS documentary is in the Teaching Tolerance series, a production of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala.

Music

"Rosa Parks." The Atlanta rap duo Outcast never actually says Parks' name in this hit 1998 single but the tune still spawned controversy, First Amendment debates, a lawsuit and later an out-of-court settlement.

"Tribute to Mrs. Rosa Parks," a 10-year-old gospel album includes such luminaries as Yolanda Adams, Vanessa Bell Armstrong and John P. Kee.

"Sister Rosa." The Neville Brothers paid tribute to Parks in this 1989 song, featured on the album "Yellow Moon."

You can reach Mekeisha Madden Toby at (313) 222-2501 or mmadden@detnews.com.