One of my dearest readers pointed out that I have neglected to comment on the passing of Rosa Parks and her special place in American history. While most Americans will place her alongside Dr. King as an important catalyst of the civil rights movement, the person that comes to my mind when I think of her is someone name Jeannette Rankin.
Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives. She was also an extreme pacifist and voted against the resolution to enter World War I. She served for only one term but spent the next twenty years active in the political process. She was elected to Congress once again in 1940 and the following year, she cemented her place in history as the only member of Congress to have voted against America’s declaration of war against Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Both women shared the courage to go against doing what they were expected to do. Both also lived into their nineties.
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