"Not Just Civil Rights but Human Rights"-- Rosa Parks Godson Curtis Dean Reflects on 50 Years After Civil Rights Act
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
By: Carmel Delshad

July 2, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando - Fifty years ago today, the Civil Rights Act was made into law. Orange County officials and residents commemorated the day at the Regional History Center today.

Photo: Full Sail students posing with the mural they created in honor of the 50th annoversary of the Civil Rights Act. Courtesy of Full Sail University.

Children sang “This Little Light of Mine,” at the start of the event commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

Among the featured speakers was Curtis Dean, the godson of Rosa Parks. He spoke after the event about the message she left behind.

“As my godmother’s legacy represents, it’s for not just civil rights but human rights," Dean says. "For all nationalities, for all ethnicities. For this country to come together finally, where everyone has an equal opportunity to share in this great wealth and culture of our country.”

Louise E. Dinkins, an Orlando resident, remembers being in Washington, D.C. for the March on Washington and listening to Martin Luther King Jr. give  his "I Have A Dream" speech.

“It all was a fulfilling moment for me, in that you could see things were going to be better,” says Dinkins.

Full Sail University also dedicated a permanent mural created by its students to commemorate the anniversary. It features Martin Luther King Jr. and Eatonville’s own Zora Neale Hurston. You can watch the making of the mural here.