Are you living your life as a model for others?

It’s half-term week here. And I have been helping my girls with their half-term homework projects. Tomorrow we get to have crafty fun, but that’s for tomorrow.

My youngest had to research a figure who has been influential in standing up for equal rights. To be honest, I was surprised at the school’s list of suggested influential people. I didn’t recognise some of them as having been influential in that way so I learned quite a bit on the topic this week. However my daughter chose to do somebody not on the suggested list (secretly I was delighted that she had chosen to be different!). I was puzzled though – she chose somebody that my elder daughter had chosen a few weeks earlier. They’re at different schools in different years, so I was curious how she chose the same person. All was revealed later though when I realised that they learned about this woman through Horrible Histories. If you don’t have children, and you’ve never watched Horrible Histories, you should give it a go. Their writers have a fantastic knack of bringing history to life. Very much aimed at children, but suitable for all ages!

So who is this person? Rosa Parks.

What an amazing woman. In 1955, Rosa Parks, a seamstress, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for “civil disobedience” because she refused to give up her seat to a white person on the bus. She was sentenced to jail and this led to the 1955-56 Montgomery bus boycott which lasted 381 days. Her actions came after she had attended training on non-violent resistance. In 1956, the Supreme Court deemed that segregation on buses was unconstitutional.

My blog title is based on a quote from her: “Each person must live their life as a model for others“. And it seems she really did live up to that herself. She took a risk, she was daring, she was bold, she took a stand. When asked why she did what she did: “I had no idea that history was being made. I was just tired of giving up.”

Another great quote attributed to her: “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”

So what about you? Are you living your life as a model for others? Are you fearful about what you do or are you doing what is right?

Remember what I shared with you yesterday “Confidence comes from taking a risk and succeeding. Dare to be bold. Dare to take a risk. Confidence will follow.” And that is what Rosa Parks did.

I’d love to hear your thoughts – please leave a comment below.