Rosa Parks died: She was famous for refusing to give up her seat. She was a controversial figure whose stance and influence to resolving the issue of racism was debated even by some African Americans, portrayed in some aspects in the Barbershop (which I leave you to decide whether it's representative of the African Americans).

I believe that she was an important symbol for an ongoing struggle that cannot end and we should not want to stop simply because a new generation has forgotten the past; the Katrina disaster has only accentuated the struggle, and reminded us of our duty. I honor her for refusing to give up her seat, a simple act in the 1950's that helped every minority group gain its voice. For better or worse.

UPDATE: I thought of a metaphor while on GamEx. She was a prism. Through her, a mediocre world of black and white split into a spectrum of colors and diversity. She told us of all the "-ism" that exist in our society. While younger generations may forget the past, and we are constantly reminding them of how far we have gone and how far we must still go, we must not ever stop trying, and we must figure out how to make them interested in our history.