Bus commuters passing through the transit center downtown were treated to the tones of a youth gospel choir Thursday.
The Christ Lutheran School fourth grade students’ performance was part of a Black History Month program, hosted by CityLink.
The connection to Rosa Parks was not lost among several speakers during the event inside the bus terminal.
"By that one moment in time, she made a difference for generations to come," Laraine Bryson, president of the Tri-County Urban League, said. "I think that each and every one of us can have that same kind of courage to stand up and make a difference."
Peoria High School Senior Unique Worthy performed a poem she wrote called, “An Open Letter to Rosa Parks” (full audio below).
Worthy says the millennial generation is continuing Parks’ fight for social justice on social media, instead of a bus.
“Our generation is one that stands up for everyone," Worthy said. "We’ve got Black Lives Matter, and love for everyone. For me, it’s time to accept people as they are and stop trying to change it.”
CityLink is lending its rehabbed 1975 bus to Peoria High for a student reenactment of Rosa Parks’ peaceful protest.