The Montgomery Bus Boycott started because of Rosa Parks, but all the people in Montgomery and elsewhere were tired of this treatment. You had to go to the front of the bus, put your money in the slot, get off the bus, go to the rear, and get a seat. There were bus drivers and White people in the South who were so evil that you could put your money in the slot, get to the back door, the door is shut the bus takes off. You didn't have no money, and then you didn't get a ride.

For 381 days the city of Montgomery walked and did not use public transportation. This non-violent protest was just the start of the demonstrations. Throughout the South the spirit of change was spreading.

From the bus boycott came the sit-ins at the different restaurants and lunch counters, school integration and jobs, and affirmative action. The bus boycott was one of the most successful civil rights demonstrations. And consequently, when you want to leave from down South on a Greyhound bus, if there's a seat up front you can ride there, if there's a seat in the back you can ride there. Segregation on public transportation is against the law.

However, I saw a study on TV recently where on the streets of New York and Philadelphia, it was demonstrated that a Black man, while he can ride in a taxi if he can get one, it's three to four times as hard for him to even hail a taxi than a White person. We think we made milestones, but there are a lot of problems that still exist.