"Lilly's Big Day," The Other Movement That Rosa Parks Inspired: By Sitting Down, She Made Room for the Disabled," and "Influencing Public Policy" (Rosenblum and Travis, p. 502

"...when she neared retirement, someone slipped her a pay schedule that showed her male colleagues were making much more money than she was" (Rosenblum and Travis, p. 489).

"Park's method of dissent-sitting still-was well suited to a community in which many people found themselves having to do that very thing all day long. Within two decades of her refusal to give up her seat, disabled people in cities across the country began staging their own sit-ins..." (Rosenblum and Travis, p.491).

"There are at least five central groups or stakeholders involved in influencing the legislative process: constituents, organizations or interest groups, coalitions, members of Congress, and congressional staffers" (Rosenblum and Travis, p. 492-493).

The above quotes provide insight into how various people were mistreated through discrimination, how those people fought discrimination, and a general outline of how we, as citizens of the U,S., can change the course of how we treat each other.

Lilly had been underpaid compared to her male co-workers for the entirety of her career. When she realized this and took her employer to court, the court found her company guiltily; however, her case was thrown out which meant she received nothing. Though she went through the process to receive lost payment and didn't in the end, she still did elicit change because she stood up for herself and others noticed.

Rosa, when refusing to give up her seat on the bus, was a model to others to stand up to those who were discriminating against them. People who used wheelchairs did sit-ins at city bus stations, as a way of showing their solidarity and a desire for change.

It can often feel overwhelming to think of all the good that needs to be done in the world; however, as the third quotes shows us, there are steps we can take to promote positive change.

The theme of these articles, is that when there is an opportunity to stand up for what is right and ethical, we should do our best to take the opportunity. As you may guess, it is not usually the easier path, though the potential rewards are the fact that you are supporting not only yourself but future generations.

Rosenblum, K. E., & Travis, T. C. (2012). The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability (ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.