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Rosa Parks Memorabilia Finds a Home at Funderburg Library
Three awards presented to Rosa Parks , a folk art sculpture , and ten books owned by the civil rights icon have been added to Funderburg Library ’ s special collections . The items were originally part of a donation made to the Library of Congress by the Howard G . Buffett Foundation . That collection , consisting of approximately 7,500 documents and 2,500 photographs , has been digitized and made available on the Library of Congress website .
According to a letter to President McFadden from the Principal Deputy Librarian of Congress , the memorabilia was offered at the request of the Buffett Foundation , which had “ identified Manchester University as a valued home ” for the items . Two of the awards , engraved to Rosa Parks , “ The Mother of the Modern Civil Rights Movement ,” are from the citizens of Gary , Indiana and the City of Gary , Indiana . The third is from the Urban League of Northwest Indiana .
The Storyteller , a folk art sculpture presented to Parks in 1992 by the Arizona Cactus Pine Girl Scouts Council , suffered some damage in transit , losing a few of her tiny listeners . Fine art conservator Elizabeth Allaire restored these little ones to their places , where they will be able to hear the wisdom of her stories for years to come .
The books from Parks ’ personal collection are evidence of her varied interests in young people ( L . P . Leavell ’ s Training in Christian Service ), world religions ( The Kitáb-i-Íqán : The Book of Certitude ), the environment ( Sylvia Earle ’ s Sea Change ), and African American history ( Autobiography of W . E . B . Du Bois , Fred Gray ’ s Bus Ride to Justice , and Nelson Mandela ’ s Long Walk to Freedom ). In addition , the library received a copy of Quiet Strength by Rosa Parks and Gregory Reed , autographed by Mrs . Parks .
Sculpture : “ The Storyteller ”, is now part of Funderburg Library ’ s special collections .”
By Darla Haines Director of Funderburg Library
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