On December 1, 1955, a Montgomery, Alabama bus driver ordered Rosa Parks to give up her seat to a white passenger. Even though Rosa wanted to go home and even though she knew that a fine and a night in jail awaited her, Rosa refused to VACILLATE. In a clear and unwavering voice, she answered with just one word – “No!” As a later historian wrote, “Somewhere in the universe a gear shifted.” Rosa’s refusal to VACILLATE helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.
VACILLATE – to waver, act in an indecisive manner