The Rev. Milford Lewis Griner set up a 2-by-3 foot portrait of Rosa Parks at the Rosa Parks RTS Downtown Station Sunday afternoon.
The portrait served as the sole decoration for the fifth annual memorial program honoring the civil rights leader.
The event, which honored Parks on the fifth anniversary of her death, attracted about 15 people.
The Rosa Parks Quiet Courage Committee, a group dedicated to educating the public about their namesake and the civil rights movement, organized the memorial.
"We want to keep her spirit alive and remember her legacy," said Griner, founder and chairman of the committee.
Two years ago, the committee paired up with the City Commission and the Regional Transit System to name the downtown station in honor of Parks.
"It's pretty symbolic," said Chip Skinner, spokesman for RTS. "She was a hero for all Americans, and it's an honor to have her name attached to this station."
The program featured prayers and hymns voiced in honor of Parks. A wreath of orange, red, white and blue flowers was laid at the station as a moment of silence was taken to mourn her passing.
"What she did, that simple action, it changed the whole nation," Griner said. "She sat down on a city bus and motivated the nation to stand for justice."
While Griner admires all who fought for civil rights, he said Parks particularly moves him due to her modest demeanor.
"She was a quiet, humble woman who did not seek the spotlight," he said. "She never let the attention change her, either. She stayed that reserved person until the day she died."
Vivian Filer, first vice president of the committee, was involved in the civil rights movement before Rosa Parks' actions "shook up the nation." However, the civil rights leader's courage motivated Filer to continue her work.
"I remember the day very vividly," she said. "We all heard about Rosa Parks on the news, and I remember just thinking how brave that woman was."
Filer was a founding member of Gainesville Women for Equal Rights in the 1960s. Now, at he age of 72, she still spends time educating people about the importance of civil rights.
"We've come so far, but we continue to fight," she said. "And all the while, people like Rosa Parks inspire us to pursue equality."
