Montgomery Bus Boycott Leaflet

[Within hours of Rosa Parks arrest for violation of the Montgomery bus segregation law, the Womens Political Council clandestinely issues a mimeographed leaflet calling for a one-day boycott of the busses. See Montgomery Bus Boycott and Organizing Before the Boycott for background information.]

PDF image of original leaflet. [The scratched out word at the end is "Monday," possibly because this particular flyer was reused later.]

Text of leaflet:

This is for Monday, December 5, 1955

Another Negro woman has been arrested and thrown in jail because she refused to get up out of her seat on the bus for a white person to sit down.

It is the second time since the Claudette Colbert case that a Negro women has been arrested for the same thing This has to be stopped.

Negroes have rights, too, for if Negroes did not ride the buses, they could not operate. Three-fourths of the riders are Negroes, yet we are arrested, or have to stand over empty seats. If we do not do something to stop these arrests, they will continue. The next time it may be you, or your daughter, or mother.

This woman's case will come up on Monday. We are, therefore, asking every Negro to stay off the busses Monday in protest of the arrest and trial. Don't ride the busses to work, to town, to school, or anywhere on Monday.

You can afford to stay out of school for one day if you have no other way to go except by bus.

You can also afford to stay out of town for one day. If you work, take a cab, or walk. But please, children and grown-ups, don't ride the bus at all on Monday. Please stay off of all buses Monday.


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