The bronze and granite sculpture installation depicts Rosa Parks at 42 years old, the age when her actions inspired the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott, and at 92 years old, the age she died. The two Rosas sit across from one another, with an empty seat between them. It’s an invitation for others to join them in conversation and action. The installation took place on April 5, 2018, the day after the nation observed the 50th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
The statue, titled Continuing the Conversation, sits on the campus of Georgia Tech in Harrison Square. The area is named for Georgia Tech’s sixth president, Edwin D. Harrison, who presided over the integration of Tech in 1961. He did so without a court order, making the Institute the first major university in the Deep South to integrate without a court mandate.
The sculptor is Atlanta artist Martin Dawe. The funding — $300,000 — was provided by Tech alums Rodney and Michelle Adkins.
