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AUGUSTA, Ga ()- On Friday, a relative of Rosa Parks, the revered figure in the civil rights movement, visited Augusta.
Renowned as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Parks’ legacy is cherished by her family, as discussed in an interview with NewsChannel 6’s Kim Vickers and one of Parks’ cousins.
“Rosa was incredibly family-oriented. I first met her when I was just ten years old,” shared Jeanette McCauley, a cousin of Rosa Parks.
McCauley was unaware of her familial connection to Parks until a school project led her to discover it. While seeking permission to bypass household chores for a library visit to research her report, she asked her father for approval.
“My father insisted, ‘No, no, no. Finish your chores first.’ But when I pressed, he finally said, ‘You can just call her.’ Confused, I asked how, to which he replied, ‘That’s your cousin. You can call her,’” McCauley recalled with a laugh.
According to McCauley, her parents didn’t tell her about her relation to Parks because there was still a lot of racial tension and they wanted to keep her safe.
She interviewed Parks for her assignment and Parks told her a different story than she learned in class. McCauley said Parks told her she didn’t refuse to give up her seat because she was tired from working. She refused because she was tired of the way black people in America were being treated.
When McCauley gave the report to her class, she said her teacher commented on the difference in information. When she told him she got it directly from Parks because they were cousins, he didn’t believe her, going so far as calling her father to report her for lying.
McCauley laughed when she recalled Parks coming to her classroom to speak and telling her teacher he owed her (McCauley) an apology, because they really were cousins.
McCauley said she spent a lot of time with Parks over the years, who inspired her to keep her legacy alive.
Part of that legacy is continuing to fight for equal rights, which she believes are being taken away by the current administration.
She came to Augusta to endorse Georgia Congressional District 12 candidate Tracell Peace-Nichols.
“We really, truly need more people and more honest people in our government. I’m backing Tracell Peace-Nichols because I believe Rosa would have backed Tracell Peace-Nichols,” McCauley explained. “She’s fighting not only for the equality of people, but to make a real change in Congress.”
Peace- Nichols told NewsChannel 6 she decided to run because she is worried about the direction the U.S. is headed.
“I’ve never been one to just sit by and watch things happen, especially just… it’s just really getting out of hand now. The economy, the war. I mean, it’s just– it’s crazy. And so I needed to just get active.”
She said having the backing of some of Parks’ family means a lot to her.
“Rosa was such an icon and even her impact is still today, even through family and things of that nature. So Ms. Jeanette has just been amazing,” Peace-Nichols said.
Peace-Nichols is one of 5 Democrats and 1 Republican looking to oust Congressman Rick Allen. The others include Democrats Traci George, Ceretta Smith, Chris Stephens, and Brianna Woodson, as well as Republican Tori Branum.
Both primary elections are on May 19th.