In city, a day to remember Rosa Parks
Tributes include rallies, bus display
Boston marchers will join those in cities across the country today to honor Rosa Parks, who 50 years ago boarded a bus in Montgomery, Ala., refused to give up her seat to a white man, and helped spark the civil rights movement.
''We're trying to make sure that young people begin to carry the mantle of Rosa Parks, that they start to see hope and start to stand for dignity," said Tony Van Der Meer, a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Van Der Meer is co-organizer of the Rosa Parks National Day of Absence Against Poverty, Racism, and War, which is leading a rally and march from Dudley Square to Boston City Hall. ''We can only teach them by action."
Residents and people who work near Dudley Square and the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Tremont Street can expect traffic delays and limited parking, said city officials.
Tributes to Parks are planned in cities across the nation. The Boston City Council unanimously endorsed commemoration of Parks' legacy.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will host a tribute today at the State House, part of a nationwide observance by all public transit agencies. State and city officials will memorialize Parks, and a decorated bus will be on display in honor of Parks, who died in October at age 92.
The day is not without its controversy. Van Der Meer's camp is criticizing Boston Public Schools for not closing schools in honor of Rosa Parks' legacy.
No one can agree on the right way to memorialize Parks, said Darnell Williams, president of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. ''We really have to find what is the most strident way that her legacy will be not only remembered, but implemented in our time," said Williams, who plans to spend the day trying to raise more money for youth programs. ''Pointing a finger and name-calling is not what Rosa Parks did. Rosa Parks made a statement with her quiet stature and demeanor and sparked a revolution."
Adrienne P. Samuels can be reached at asamuels@globe.com. 
