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By Genoa Barrow, Observer Senior Staff Writer --

As Sacramento prepares to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., locals are also encouraged to celebrate the legacy of another civil rights icon, Rosa Parks.

The Sacramento Regional Transit District is celebrating its Second annual Season of Civil Rights, with a series of events stretching through February to build awareness about the significance that transit played in the American Civil Rights Movement.

Friday, January 15 is the deadline to enter RT’s “I am the Dream and the Dream is Now” poetry contest. The contest asks local school aged children in grades K-8 to write on Rosa Parks and the general theme of transit and civil rights.

Poems must be original works of 10 lines or less. Submission should be made to Laura Washburn, Senior Community and Government Affairs Officer, by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by P.O. Box 2110, Sacramento, CA 95812-2110. Ten winners will receive the “The Rosa Story” DVD and a $25 bookstore gift card. Winning poems will be displayed on interior bus card posters during month of February to commemorate Black History Month and at RT’s booth during the OBSERVER’s Black Expo 2010, February 19-21 at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Parks will also be honored during the California Rosa Parks Day Awards Celebration on Saturday, February 6. The event is presented by the Black Sacramento Heritage Project and will be held at the Embassy Suites Riverfront Promenade, 100 Capital Mall. The theme is “Spirit of Water... A Tribute to Dear Rosa.”

Awards will be given to individuals for their work in bringing communities together in the spirit of unity. Event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a Black History Month Fundraising Reception, followed by the dinner program and awards celebration at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50. For more information contact the Black Sacramento Heritage Project at (916) 997-2451.