SAN ANTONIO -- VIA Metropolitan Transit and an original Freedom Rider will help San Antonians celebrate the 106th birthday of civil rights activist Rosa Parks between February 4-8.

  • Free history experience featuring a vintage bus from the Civil Rights Movement era will be on display at St. Philip's College
  • VIA will hold an opening ceremony February 4 (Rosa Parks’ birthday)
  • Freedom Rider Barbara Bowie will speak about her experience at the opening ceremony

A free history experience featuring a 40-foot-long vintage bus from the global Civil Rights Movement era will be on display next to the Turbon Student Center at St. Philip's College.

READ MORE | St. Phillip’s College to Host Several Events for Black History Month

VIA will hold an opening ceremony at the project site February 4 (Rosa Parks’ birthday) at 1 p.m. next to the center.

In addition to the vintage 1966 GM Dreamliner VIA bus that carried a group of Freedom Riders as ceremonial passengers in the city’s 2019 MLK March, Freedom Rider Barbara Bowie will speak about her experience, and VIA will also announce a contribution to the Dr. Bowie Scholarship Foundation, in memory of Ms. Bowie’s late spouse Dr. J.R. Bowie, III.

VIA originally invited Bowie to debut in an innovative MLK March tradition the transit provider started with Parks. Parks led the way by debuting at VIA’s invitation as a ceremonial guest in a 1954 Flexible Twin Coach VIA bus in 1987, as part of VIA’s participation in the march.

The year 1987, when Parks passed the campus, was significant in that St. Philip’s College received its Historically Black College and University (HBCU) member institution designation from the federal government in 1987.

Special Rosa Parks Seats were installed in VIA buses in 2005, and every VIA bus (510) has a special yellow seat designated in honor of Rosa Parks. In her way, Rosa rides the streets of the nation's seventh-largest city every day.

The life of a former student at the college who also made local mass transit history in San Antonio is being celebrated this month. Reuben Benjamin Wesley was the first black bus driver and first black supervisor for VIA and for the city of San Antonio, according to his obituary.

There will be free guided tours with free parking February 4-6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.