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Albuquerque will honor civil rights icon Rosa Parks on Wednesday, Feb. 4, with bus tributes and school presentations marking Transit Equity Day and what would have been Parks’ birthday.
The city’s transit agency will place Rosa Parks seat tributes on all Albuquerque Rapid Transit buses operating Routes 766 and 777 on Feb. 4. Officials are encouraging riders to reflect on Parks’ legacy and share their thoughts on social media using #ISitWithRosa.
“Everyone deserves the freedom public transportation provides,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement. “Continuing Rosa Parks’ legacy through our zero-fare program ensures that everyone can ride.”
ART accounts for about 30% of ABQ RIDE’s total ridership, averaging more than 6,000 daily riders, according to the city.
ABQ RIDE teams will also visit Zuni, Longfellow and Lew Wallace schools Wednesday. Neema Pickett, Black Community Engagement liaison for the city’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, will lead interactive presentations on the intersection of civil rights, transportation and equity. Each presentation will conclude with a song and commemorative bus ride.
Transit Equity Day also marks Parks’ Dec. 1, 1955, refusal to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama — an act that helped spark the modern civil rights movement.
Transit Director Leslie Keener said Albuquerque’s zero-fare system exemplifies Parks’ vision of accessible transportation.
“If you sit on what that means for a moment and reflect, we have come such a long way,” Keener said. “Riding the bus can save people thousands of dollars, connect them citywide with 24 bus routes, transport them innovatively with free microtransit and paratransit services.”
Community members can request future presentations or tours with ABQ RIDE by emailing mskrak@cabq.gov. More information is available at ABQRIDE.com.
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