Students stopping in McDonald’s or stepping on the bus to class Tuesday may have noticed posters leaned against the east side of the Holmes Student Center, surrounded by flowers, commemorating civil rights figure Rosa Parks.

Zeta Phi Beta sorority and Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, in conjunction, hosted a memorial ceremony commemorating Parks in the HSC’s Illinois Room Tuesday night that contained many of the same funeral songs and Bible readings from Parks’ actual funeral, including an obituary in the program from part of Parks’ actual obituary.

Sheri Cox, a special education graduate student, came up with the idea to hold a memorial for Rosa Parks at NIU.

“I was watching the stories on the news … and I wanted to bring it to the campus,” Cox said.

Students were encouraged to bring cards and flowers to the ceremony that, along with a video tape recording of the ceremony, will be sent to Parks’ family.

Opening statements introduced Parks and mentioned the day she decided not to give up her seat, as well as how one simple decision and one regular person can make a great difference in history.

Guest speaker and Minister David Seymour said Parks probably did not get up that morning and get on that bus expecting to spark the ripple effect she did. Seymour also compared the story of David and Goliath to the day Parks refused to give up her seat.

Both David and Parks, Seymour said, went up against humongous opponents without fear.

Seymour also included two myths about Parks. Parks did not give up her seat because she was tired from work, Seymour said. In reality, she was tired of giving in.

Another myth Seymour mentioned was the myth that Parks was sitting in the section of the bus that was reserved for whites. She actually was sitting in the section of the bus that was reserved for blacks. At the time, however, Jim Crow laws required that if the white section was filled up, a black must give up their seat for a white, Seymour said.

“We tried to get the same songs and readings [from her funeral],” Cox said.

A passionate dance tribute also was performed by Joshua Rayburn, a senior mechanical engineering major, to a song by J. Moss.

Other performances included a solo of the song “Tears in Heaven,” sung by senior journalism major Kiarri Andrews.

The night closed with a group-sung hymn titled, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and a closing prayer.

“Mother Parks is not only an icon of black history … but American history as well,” Seymour said.