Back of the Bus

Today I was in the Columbus Museum of Art. Maybe it’s because I’m an art lover or maybe I just love staring at beautiful things, but this museum is one of my favorites. Actually, all museums are my favorites. Whenever I travel, I love to check out different museums. They each have something special to offer and they are all full of stories bursting at the seams––stories that need to be told and stories that need to be heard.

During today’s trip, I can across a new exhibit “Back of the Bus” which features art/illustrations by Floyd Cooper. These powerful images told the story of Rosa Parks’ arrest for her refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery Alabama which lead to a 13-month bus boycott of city buses which ended when the US Supreme Court issued a decree that made segregation on public transportation unconstitutional.

I only wished I had Rosa Parks’ constitution­­––I can only imagine what it would have been like to be on that bus while people are yelling and screaming at you and demanding you get up and move. How it must have felt to have your humanity and dignity stripped away and put on display like an animal. She kept her cool, her composure, her poise, and what little dignity she had left. It was an inspiring exhibit that I would highly encourage anyone in the Columbus area to check it out.

But that wasn’t even the coolest part––the coolest part was sitting there and watching people come through and read and look at the images on display. At one point a father walked in and took his daughter around the exhibit. Seeing them examine the images on display and hearing her ask questions and him answering those questions pulled on my heart strings. Seeing these stories come to life in a way that meaningful 2.5 generations later.