Rosa Parks statue unveiled in Alabama on 64th anniversary of bus arrest

A new statue of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks was unveiled in Montgomery, Ala., marking exactly 64 years since she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey pulled off a cloth to reveal the new statue Sunday afternoon in downtown Montgomery, only feet from where Parks boarded the public bus on Dec. 1, 1955.

The statue depicts Park — who died in 2005 at age 92 — standing and clutching her purse in front of her.

“This depiction will inspire future generations to make the pilgrimage to our city, to push toward the path of righteousness, strength, courage and equality,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said, according to Al.com.

Parks’ arrest sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, which was organized by Martin Luther King Jr., and played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement.

The ceremony on Sunday also coincided with the second annual Rosa Parks Day in Alabama.

With Post wires