Rosa Parks and her courageous act of quiet civil disobedience on an Alabama bus in 1955 had a resounding impact on civil rights and black history.

Mesa’s Spring 2009 Writing Contest gave students the opportunity to express their feelings on this topic, and many rose to the occasion, submitting their original works of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction.

“We wanted to do a contest that emphasized a theme of Quiet Strength Through Collective Resistance, with poetry, short fiction and creative non-fiction that addresses those themes,” said English professor and Co-coordinator, Jennifer Cost.

Now that entries are all in, it’s time to choose which submissions will go into the next edition of Mesa’s award-winning literary magazine, Mesa Visions. The English Department faculty, the Mesa Visions publication staff and students in Honors Introduction to Creative Writing will be judging submissions based on the central themes this issue will be focused on. These themes include courage, empowerment, diversity, quiet strength, identity, leadership, and integrity.

Winning entries to be included in the Mesa Visions publication will be announced in October and there will be an Awards Ceremony in December, the 54th anniversary of Parks’s act of civil disobedience, where the literary works will be read aloud by either the student authors or members of the speech and debate team.

“This has been such a great opportunity for departments across the college to work together,” said Wendy Smith, English professor and Co-coordinator.

Rosa Parks had a close relationship with Mesa College and visited campus multiple times. The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development named the Mesa College campus its western branch.

Following Mrs. Parks’s passing in 2005, the faculty at Mesa began planning a memorial project to honor her legacy. After an invitational competition on campus at Mesa, a team of artists including Mesa Fine Arts Professor and public artist Mario Lara, public artist Nina Karavasiles, and diversity specialist Dr. Gerda Govine, was chosen to create an artistic tribute.

Construction on the team’s vision, a Rosa Parks Memorial Bus Stop, began during Spring 2009 at the Southwest corner of Mesa College Drive and Mesa College Circle and was scheduled for completion and unveiling this fall but may be moved to February, due to construction delays.

According to Professor Lara, February 4, 2010 is the new date the committee is looking at because it is Rosa Parks’s birthday, as well as Black History Month.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System stop will feature historic photos of Rosa Parks, transparent images of twelve Mesa College students selected for their leadership, and an adjacent reflection area with seating and a rose bush.