Philadelphia students celebrated Black History Month at SEPTA headquarters in Center City Wednesday with a program highlighting educator and Civil Rights activist Caroline LeCount.<\/p>\n
Streetcars driven by horses in the 1860s were segregated in Philadelphia, but after LeCount staged acts of civil disobedience and challenged the law, it was changed.<\/p>\n
“In March 1867, it became illegal to segregate street cars throughout Pennsylvania,” Marianne McQuaid said.<\/p>\n
“Even though she was born nearly a half century prior to Rosa Parks, they are considered by many to be very closely intermingled in efforts to desegregate public transit,” Scott Sauer, SEPTA’s general manager, said.<\/p>\n
For the past several years, SEPTA has honored Black History Month while continuing to honor LeCount’s contributions to the mass transit system that still serves the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It’s a history lesson that highlights the legacy of a fearless woman who wouldn’t settle for segregation.<\/p>\n
“It’s been suggested Caroline LeCount was the Rosa Parks of her time, however since Caroline came before Rosa, I like to think that Rosa Parks was the Caroline LeCount of her time,” McQuaid said.<\/p>\n
The former Taney Street was renamed LeCount Street<\/a> in 2024, a lasting legacy for this Philadelphia trailblazer.<\/p>\n “Her work reminds us that transportation is more than just moving people forward, it’s connecting individuals to jobs, education and opportunities,” Tamla Ginyard said.<\/p>\n \n More from CBS News\n <\/p>\n