Rosa Parks
Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins kisses the hand of civil rights activist Rosa Parks before the start of the 1993 Essence Awards program in New York City, April 30, 1993. REUTERS/Jeff Christensen

The legendary Rosa Parks, a civil rights pioneer who sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in 1955, passed away 12 years ago. But Saturday would have been her 104th birthday — if you’re looking for a way to celebrate her legacy of activism, here are some suggestions:

Read books

Did you know Parks wrote an autobiography? Called “Rosa Parks: My Story,” it was published in 1993. Parks writes not only about her decision to give up her bus seat, but also about life in the segregated United States and why she joined the Civil Rights Movement.

You can introduce young children to Parks’ legacy with the kid-friendly book “I am Rosa Parks” from the Ordinary People Change the World series by Brad Meltzer.

But that’s not all you should read. Education is power, so you should educate yourself with as much historical literature as possible. Here’s more essentially reading for your bookshelf:

  • “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” a slave memoir by Frederick Douglass (written in 1845)
  • “Twelve Years A Slave,” a slave memoir by Solomon Northup (written in 1853)
  • “The Coming of Age in Mississippi,” a memoir about growing up black in the rural south in the mid-20th century by Anne Moody (1968)
  • “America in the King Years,” a three-volume history of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the civil rights movement by historian Taylor Branch (1988)
  • “Freedom’s Daughters,” profiles of female leaders of the civil rights movement by Lynne Olson (2001)

Watch films

Maybe you can’t read an entire book in one day — it’s easier to carve out a couple of hours to watch a movie instead. “The Rosa Parks Story” is a TV film, broadcast on CBS in 2002, about the titular character. Parks is played by Angela Bassett, and the movie received awards from the NAACP and the Black Reel Awards.

“Boycott,” another TV film from 2001, tells the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. But this film focuses less on Parks and more on Martin Luther King, Jr., who’s played by Jeffrey Wright.

Get involved in the community

Parks didn’t change the course of history for the United States by sitting on the couch. Follow her example — get things done. There are simple ways to get involved with civic engagement: Become a poll worker. Call your local elected officials, or you can even call up your senators and representatives in Washington, D.C. Attend public meetings in your community, which you can find on your city’s website. Heck, hold your own meetings!

Or you could go one step further and consider running for local office. If you really want to make a change, that’s one of the best ways to do it.

Protest

Parks was disruptive. She got people’s attention by interrupting their days. If there’s a cause you’re especially passionate about, go out and make some noise.

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