Seventy years after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus, several civil rights luminaries, including the descendants of those who helped organize, lead and sustain the movement since 1955, will convene in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1–6, to commemorate the anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Rosa Parks was arrested on Dec. 1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery City Bus. Four days later, on December 5, over 5,000 people attended the first Mass Meeting to plan a boycott of the bus system. The boycott lasted 381 days and set in motion the national movement that ultimately dismantled Jim Crow.
To commemorate this milestone, the Southern Youth Leadership Development Institute has organized several events in Montgomery to honor Mrs. Parks and other individuals and families, not as well known, who helped make the bus boycott succeed.
A full rundown of those programs is below. Unless otherwise indicated, events are free and open to the public. Additional details can be found at syldi.org/mgmbusboycott.
Worldwide Tolling of the Bells
Various Locations
Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, at 6:06 p.m. CST
Carillonneurs and bell tollers in churches and other houses of worship, on college campuses, and elsewhere around the world are tolling bells to mark the 70th anniversary of Mrs. Rosa L. Parks’ courageous action at the exact moment of her arrest. Among the institutions that have agreed to toll their bells are the Washington National Cathedral, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Troy University – Montgomery Campus, the University of Kansas, the University of Michigan, the University of Rochester, Smith College, and the University of the South.
Charting our Future: From Moment to Movement
Holt Street Baptist Church Museum
903 S. Holt Street, Montgomery, Ala. 36108
Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at 10 a.m. CST
Several former and current voices from the civil rights community will discuss the legacy of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and how the unfinished work for justice and equity can continue in communities today. The roundtable discussion, which will take place in the same room that the historic Mass Meeting was held seventy years ago, will be moderated by nationally acclaimed journalist Roland Martin and streamed on his YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@rolandsmartin.
Roundtable participants include Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of the King Center; Deborah Archer, president of the ACLU; LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund; Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb County, Ga.; Rev. Frederick (Freddie) Douglass Haynes III, Ph.D., senior pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas; Pastor Leon Hampton Jr., Esq., pastor at First Church, Greater Washington Park in Montgomery, Ala.; and Deborah Scott, chief executive officer at GA Stand Up.
Civil Rights Community Family Reunion
Dunn-Oliver Acadome on the campus of Alabama State University
915 S. Jackson Street, Montgomery, Ala. 36106
Friday, Dec. 5, 2025, at 7 p.m. CST
This private-by-invitation-only reunion will celebrate the men and women, and their families, who organized, led, and sustained the civil rights movement since 1955. Those expected to attend Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King; Donzaleigh, Juandalyn, and Kwame Abernathy; Michael Julian Bond; Wendell and George Paris; Zohara Simmons; and others.
Ecumenical Service
Mt. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church
455 W. Fred Gray Avenue, Montgomery, Ala. 36104
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at 8 a.m. CST
The Rosa Parks & Ella Baker Youth Call to Action Summit will begin with a grounding moment of prayer and fellowship with community, faith, and civil rights leaders. Mt. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church, originally located on Holt Street, is where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association.
The service will include reflections, performances, and calls to action from Rev. Jamar Boyd II, senior pastor of Kenwood United Church of Christ in Chicago, Ill.; Rev. Jaylen T. Oliver, executive pastor of Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn.; saxophonist Angella Christie; opera singer Victory Brinker; musician Jennifer Harris, and others.
Rosa Parks & Ella Baker Youth Call to Action Summit
Rosa Parks Library & Museum
252 Montgomery Street, Montgomery, Ala. 36104
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at 10 a.m. CST
Students aged 12-20 are convening in Montgomery to explore the legacy of youth activism in the civil rights movement and begin forming new coalitions rooted in the same cross-racial, interfaith partnerships that helped propel the movement seventy years ago. The Rosa Parks Library & Museum is located at the bus stop where Mrs. Parks was arrested.
Participants will engage in hands-on workshops to learn practical organizing and community engagement skills, empowering them to carry forward the legacy of Mrs. Parks and become active changemakers within their own communities. Award-winning rapper, educator, and activist Dee-1 will perform.
The Summit will kick off a 381-day youth-led campaign, mirroring the length of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, to strengthen their communities through youth-driven action. Throughout the campaign, youth will take on individual and collective actions to advance justice in their communities and shine a light on the ongoing role of young people in shaping change.
Rosa L. Parks Gala & Awards
Elevation Convening Center and Hotel
600 Montgomery Street, Montgomery, Ala. 36104
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at 7 p.m. CST
The annual Rosa L. Parks Gala and Awards Program honors the legacy of Mrs. Parks and recognizes individuals who are carrying her work forward. The gala celebrates those who embody the dignity, strength and quiet power that defined Mrs. Parks’ lifelong commitment to justice. Honorees include leaders whose success is inspiring and who are making bold contributions to civil and human rights in their communities and beyond, the organization shared.
The 2025 Rosa L. Parks Honorees include:
- Entrepreneur and philanthropist Arthur Blank
- U.S. Representative Shomari Figures, AL-02
- Alabama State Senator Vivian Figures, SD 33
- ACLU President Deborah Archer
- National Coalition on Black Civic Participation President and CEO and Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable Melanie Campbell
- Former Jacksonville, Fla., Mayor Alvin Brown
- Educators Anthony Brock, Ph.D., and Frederick Brock
- Business Council of Alabama President and CEO Helena Duncan
- Politician, activist, and educator Joe Reed
- Alabama State University President Quinton T. Ross Jr., Ed.D.
Tickets are available for purchase at www.syldi.org/gala.
The SYLDI observances are chaired by Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company.
Ambassador Andrew Young, Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, and Kwame Abernathy are the honorary co-chairs.
The National Host Committee includes U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures of Alabama; U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama; City of Montgomery, Ala. Mayor Steven L. Reed; Lottie Shackelford, former Mayor of Little Rock, Ark.; Latosha Brown; Jennifer Ford Chatfield; John Danielson; Dr. Janice G. Frazier; JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist; LaMell McMorris; Kathy L. Nealy; Darren Peters and Deborah Scott.
