Freedom^®:
A Rose in Honor
of Rosa Parks

Proceeds support her institute and legacy of quiet strength By mariannE liPanOviCH

“i T’s lOvEly.” Elaine Eason Steele describes Freedom^®, a rose in honor of Rosa Parks. The lush, deep-red rose, with large petals and long vase life, was introduced by Organic Style in December 2007 to coincide with the 52nd anniversary of Parks’s courageous refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus. That memorable act sparked the modern-day civil rights movement (read more about rosa Parks).

Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale of the roses through Organic Style go directly to the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. Co-founded in 1987 by Parks and Steele, the Institute is a testament to the belief of Parks and her husband, Raymond, that the future lies with the children. Parks also saw it as a tribute to Raymond and the hardships he endured because of racial discrimination.

It is personal change that the Institute seeks to foster.

Its goal is to encourage youth to reach their highest potential through the Rosa Parks philosophy of “quiet strength,” which promotes life skills that integrate dignity with pride, courage with