By Chris Hoenig
Sunday marked the anniversary of one of the most symbolic moments of the civil-rights movement: On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus for a white person and was arrested.
The anniversary brought about a rare bipartisan show of respect, including a Sunday-afternoon tweet from President Obama:
In a single moment 58 years ago today, Rosa Parks helped change this country. pic.twitter.com/C502SKfJnj
Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 1, 2013
But it’s an earlier tweet from the Republican Party’s official Twitter account that left many Americans scratching their heads:
Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in ending racism. pic.twitter.com/uxIj1QmtkU RNC (@GOP) December 1, 2013
It didn’t take long before the reaction began pouring in, with Americans sarcastically celebrating the end of racism and wondering if the GOP is really that out of touch with modern times:
Oh racism ended.Thanks for the update! RT @GOP Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in ending racism pic.twitter.com/S3QR7NxaKo Bianca L. St.Louis (@beLaurie) December 1, 2013
Hey guys, remember racism RT @GOP: Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in ending racism. pic.twitter.com/M6D8ixRjet christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) December 1, 2013
.@GOP It’s ok, we don’t need you winning an election anytime soon anyway. Keep up the thoughtful tweets. Carly Ryan (@GladiatorCarly) December 1, 2013
The tweet even spawned its own viral hashtag: #RacismEndedWhen, which included a variety of snarky and sarcastic tweets, as well as stories of racism and discrimination continuing to happen in America today. The GOP backpedaled a few hours later, keeping the original tweet up but posting this correction:
Previous tweet should have read “Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand and her role in fighting to end racism.”
RNC (@GOP) December 1, 2013
According to a Pew Research Center survey, more than half of whites in the U.S. believe that Black Americans are subjected to at least some discrimination today, while 46 percent of Blacks say that there is still “a lot” of discrimination (88 percent describe at least “some” discrimination).
