Rosa Parks' Death Affects the Celebrity Community

Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks was laid to rest last week at the age of 92. More than 40,000 mourners passed through the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C., where her body had lain in honor. She is the first woman and second African-American to receive this honor which is usually only for Presidents, soldiers, and politicians.

Talk show host, Oprah Winfrey and actor Cicely Tyson were amongst the many speakers who paid tribute at the civil rights activist's memorial service where over 2,500 people were in attendance.

Oprah said, "I'm here today to say a final thank you, Sister Rosa, for being a great woman, who used your life to serve us all. That day you refused to give up your seat on the bus, you changed the trajectory of my life, and the lives of so many other people in the world. I would not be standing here today, nor standing where I stand every day had she not chosen to sit down. I know that and I honor that...I marvel at your will, I celebrate your strength to this day and I am forever grateful."

The Irish rock band, U2, in the midst of their world tour, stopped to praise Rosa Parks during their concert in Detroit, MI. Before they began their deeply moving and thoughtful ballad, "One," lead singer Bono said, "Because of her quiet dignity and strength, America became a better, changed country. This song is dedicated to the mother of American Civil Rights Movement Rosa Parks. God bless you in your rest." When they played, "Where the Streets Have No Name," a song that has grown to symbolize the band's iconic status, Bono compared one civil rights icon to another. He said, "From Rosa Parks in America to Nelson Mandela in Africa." Lastly, "Pride (In the Name of Love)," a song originally written in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., was on this night, reserved for Rosa Parks, the woman who refused to get up because, "they could not take your pride."