Mayor honors local leaders, outlines week of Montgomery bus boycott events

The mayor opened the session by recognizing two longtime community leaders who recently died and by announcing a schedule of events commemorating the Montgomery bus boycott.

The mayor said the city will present a resolution to the family of Walter L. Bush Sr., whom the mayor described as a respected businessman and an early Black architect in Montgomery. The mayor also honored Althea Thomas, a musician and educator who taught in Montgomery Public Schools and at Alabama State University and who served at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church.

The remarks turned to the city's commemoration of Rosa Parks Day and the bus boycott. The mayor said the city observed the anniversary and urged residents to attend this week's events, highlighting a reimagined mass meeting on Friday, Dec. 5, at Holt Street Baptist Church titled "Where Do We Go From Here" with keynote speaker Reverend Dr. Otis Moss III of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. The mayor also pointed to a youth summit and the Roselle Elle Parks Gala on Dec. 6 and directed residents to mgmbusboycott.com for the full schedule: "For the full schedule of events, please visit mgmbusboycott.com," the mayor said.

Why it matters: Montgomery's bus boycott is a defining episode in the city's civil rights history; the mayor framed this week's events as both remembrance and civic education. The city's scheduled public programming, including the mass meeting and youth summit, gives residents opportunities to participate in those commemorations.

The mayor closed the segment by encouraging public attendance at the events, in person or virtually.