POPULAR CULTURE Artists find inspiration from Parks
The civil-rights activist has achieved icon status.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
To measure the impact of Rosa Parks, try this: See if you can find a segment of high art or popular culture in which she hasn't served as an inspiration.
Her landmark role in the civil-rights movement has been interpreted by musicians, poets, authors, filmmakers and modern artists.
She wasn't always happy with the references made to her. The Outkast song, "Rosa Parks," prompted a lawsuit on her behalf, while jokes about her in the movie "Barbershop" spurred a testy debate.
But that's what happens when you're a pop-culture figure. People can't stop talking about you.
"As Americans, we all recognize the importance of what she's done," said Cecilia Donohue, chair of Madonna University's department of English and communication arts. "It's going to be remembered and interpreted by all sorts of people."
Parks was played by Angela Bassett in a TV movie about her life, "The Rosa Parks Story" (2002). The icon and the actress both attended a special Detroit screening.
Footage included
Countless documentaries, like the acclaimed PBS series "Eyes on the Prize" (1987), have included footage of Parks. She even appeared as herself on the CBS drama "Touched by an Angel" in an episode dealing with racism.
Detroit artist Tyree Guyton decorated a bus in her honor. Composers have written tributes, like Michael Daugherty's "Rosa Parks Boulevard" and Hannibal Lokumbe's "Dear Mrs. Parks," which had its world premiere with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in February.
The Neville Brothers also have a song, "Sister Rosa," on their 1989 album, "Yellow Moon."
Her presence looms large on the cultural landscape, which is fitting, say those who've studied her legacy.
"When people reach that level of impact, that's what happens," said Dr. Melba Joyce Boyd, a professor in Wayne State University's Department of Africana Studies.
Like other icons, Parks' name was appropriated by artists and performers whether she liked it or not.
Earlier this year, a lengthy and complicated lawsuit was settled concerning the use of her name in an Outkast song, "Rosa Parks," from the hip-hop duo's 1998 album. Although the song isn't about Parks, the chorus includes the lines, " Hush that fuss, everybody move to the back of the bus."