Rosa Parks Heritage Abandoned By America

[sheshe2]

Utter disrespect towards the Black woman who in 1955 dared to refuse to give up her seat to a white man in Alabama.

You’d be surprised to know that to visit the home where civil rights legend Rosa Parks lived, you’ll have to travel to Germany, because now it is displayed in the backyard of an American artist Ryan Mendoza moved a house from the city of Detroit to Europe for an art project.

How and why did the house get there? The answer is simple – Detroit planned to demolish it. When Parks’ niece Rhea McCauley found out she had no means to save the historical building she and Mendoza applied to the city mayor, though he showed no interest in protecting the construction.

Using volunteers’ help Mendoza disassembled the home, put it into shipping containers, transported it to Germany, and put it back together at her own expense. Hundreds of people attended the official unveiling of the home in Berlin last week.

“The Rosa Parks house should actually be a national monument and not a demolition project,” Mendoza said in an interview. “The basic question, the fundamental question I ask myself: ‘Is the house worthless or is the house priceless?’ For the American institutions so far the house has been deemed worthless.”


Read More: https://blackmattersus.com/32308-rosa-parks-heritage-abandoned-by-america/


Rosa Parks' Detroit Home Restored and On Display in Berlin


Rhea McCauley (R), niece of African-American human rights figure Rosa Parks, speaks to a journalist while standing next to the former house of Rosa Parks on property of U.S. artist Ryan Mendoza on April 6, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. Mendoza bought the house, which was slated for demolition in Detroit, took it apart, shipped it to Germany, and put it back together again on the property next to his studio.
Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Image

The Washington Post reported today (April 10) that the wooden, three-bedroom house where Parks lived with extended family in the late 1950s had its first visitors over the weekend. Niece Rhea McCauley, one of those relatives, purchased the deteriorating house for $500 from the City of Detroit, which planned to demolish it. "It is something that is precious," she said to The Detroit Free Press/The Associated Press last week. "And it is priceless. And yet it is being mistreated."


Read More: http://www.colorlines.com/articles/rosa-parks-detroit-home-restored-and-display-berlin?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+racewireblog+%28Colorlines.com%29

I am glad it still stands even if it is not in Detroit, the city Mayor had no interest in protecting it.

[brer cat]

1. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Profoundly disappointed for sure, and saddened. This country has a lot of misplaced priorities. And racism, always racism.

[sheshe2]

2. Not much I can add to what you said brer.

At the very least I am glad that her niece Rhea McCauley was there to buy it and have it moved to Berlin...hundreds came out for the opening. So heartbreaking, the house should be here and part of this countries history.

McCauley lives in hope that one day her America the U.S. will “grow up” and ask for its treasure back.

I hope Rhea is right and that someday American will "grow up" and ask for it back. It is a reminder of our black history and our white shame, it belongs here.

[PdxSean]

3. Detroit charged him $500 for a house that was to be demolished?

That took some chutzpah. You want to preserve the house we are going to destroy? Okay. $500 and we'll let you have it.

[sheshe2]

4. The niece paid for it... and gave it to Ryan.

I agree with you, it was chutzpah.

Did you see the video in the first link? The artist Ryan talks about it. Sad. He took it down, shipped and rebuilt with his own money. White artist helps save a black woman's home. He is appalled with what Detroit did and hopes someday it will be returned to America where it belongs.

Thanks Sean.