Rosa Parks and Homer

Growing up, I went to magnet schools (Tulsa's answer to desegregation) from kindergarten to 12th grade. This meant that I spent a good part of each day on the school bus moving to North Tulsa. The bus holds a lot of memories for me. Some were fun--laughing and singing to my walkman with Adrianne; Some not so fun-- running for the bus when we were late and being tormented by Clayton and Jesse (typical 5th grade boys!). But when I think of riding the bus I think of Pops and Homer--two of my bus drivers. Pops drove the route up Sheridan, and Homer drove the route that went up Memorial.

Yesterday I received a piece of "real mail" at the house. It was one of my mom's eclectic collections of clippings from the Tulsa World. She knows I don't subscribe to the paper, so this is her way of keeping me up to date with all things Tulsa--plus a few advice columns and business tips thrown in for good measure. So yesterday's envelope was full of goodies. A couple of coupons, an article on "Gen Xers in the workplace, Ben Geffen's wedding announcement (for you Tulsa folk, he married a Harvard biophysicist named Olga), and, the obituary for James Homer Johnson.

Reading the story, I learned a lot about Homer. I learned that he was a fellow Booker T. graduate, that he graduated from Tennessee State University, that he was narrowly defeated in his campaign for Oklahoma State House Representative, and that he had a weekly program on Fresh Jams 105.3 called "Open Mic with J. Homer Johnson." I never knew any of that in my days on his bus.

To me, he was the bus driver for route 365. He was a kind-hearted man. He took care of us, and always noticed if Sarah or I had missed a day or two. Here was a civic leader who made a difference in his community by doing so in the lives of children.

Today I also learned that Rosa Parks passed away. What does she have to do with Homer? Well, they were both strong African-Americans who made a difference in people's lives one day on a bus.

For Rosa Parks, her day launched this country's civil rights movement. I cannot imagine the pride she must have felt in knowing that she played such a major role in bringing freedom to all her fellow Americans. For Homer, his day was not as instantaneous, but no less important. He made a difference every day he drove that bus. Every day that he told Clayton or Jesse to sit down and stop throwing paper at the cars behind us. Every day that he did his part to end racial segregation in schools. Every day that he brought children from one side of town over to the other so that they could receive an education not just from books, but from other cultures.

So, whether you take your stand (or keep your seat, in Rosa's case) in a public way, or whether you choose to serve quietly, know that you have a part to play in this great melting pot.