Newswise — KNOXVILLE—Dec. 1 marks the 60th anniversary of the day Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger—a move that launched a citywide boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, and other desegregation efforts.

Six decades later, Parks' act and subsequent civil rights endeavors provide an opportunity to teach black resistance differently, particularly in light of current student movements, according to two geographers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Derek Alderman and Joshua Inwood argue for an approach that moves away from a "heroes and holidays" approach to a broader understanding and empathy for the role of ordinary people and daily work in making the civil rights movement happen, along with the highly publicized events.

The racial politics of mobility underscores how African Americans have sought to redefine their movement as part of redefining their rights, which is the underlying story of Rosa Parks, they said.

Additionally, Alderman and Inwood are proposing that the theme of a future Geography Awareness Week be devoted to civil rights. They've started a White House petition related to the matter at www.tinyurl.com/pcuptam.

Alderman, head of the UT Department of Geography, is an expert on cultural and historical geography, specifically related to public memory, heritage tourism, the civil rights movement and African-American history.

Read more about his expertise at www.experts.tntoday.utk.edu/experts/derek-alderman. Contact him at 865-974-0406 or [email protected].

Inwood, an associate professor of geography and Africana studies, is an expert on racism and violence. Inwood can provide expert insight and analysis about racism's destructive force and the white supremacy movement's role in American history.

Read more about Inwood's expertise at http://www.experts.tntoday.utk.edu/experts/joshua-inwood. Contact him at 865-974-6170 or [email protected].