President Mary Sue Coleman, below right, joins students, faculty and staff for a celebration of the life of Rosa Parks. A candlelight vigil on the Diag Nov. 2 afforded those who couldn't make the trek to Detroit for Parks' funeral that day an opportunity to pay their respects to the woman who 50 years ago refused to give up her seat on an Alabama bus to a white man. Her act of defiance over the controversial practice of segregation ignited the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott and earned her the distinction of being the mother of the modern civil rights movement.

"She was like a stone dropped in the water. For decades we have felt the ripple of her selfless act," Coleman says of Parks, who died Oct. 24 in Detroit where she lived since 1957. "Each of us can make a difference with our actions. We must honor her life by continually advocating for, and embracing, diversity." (Photos by Lin Jones, U-M Photo Services)

Transportation Services staff recognize the legacy of the late Rosa Parks with a message on the front of all U-M buses. Scrolling text that says, U-M Transportation Honors Rosa Parks, will be displayed on message boards during the next few weeks in memory of the civil rights activist. (Photo by Lin Jones, U-M Photo Services)