Temecula city leader compares challenges of keeping her mask on to Rosa Parks struggles
TEMECULA, Calif. - No one disagrees that Rosa Parks was an iconic civil rights leader. Parks showed her courage when she refused to sit in the back of the bus, which remains a critical junction in the battle for the rights of African Americans in this country.
Fast-forward to 2021, a Temecla city councilperson is now under fire after comparing her struggle of not wearing a mask during the pandemic to the challenges Parks faced.
Jessica Alexander made that remark during an Apr. 13 city council meeting held over a Zoom call.
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Anti-mask California politician compares herself to Rosa Parks, sparks anger, support
Updated Apr 29, 2021;
A Temecula, California, City Council member who compared her fight against face mask mandates to Rosa Parks’ bus demonstration for civil rights has touched off a weeks-long controversy in the majority-white Riverside County city where residents are sharply divided over the comments and Black community members have expressed anger over the remarks.
The council member, Jessica Alexander, a staunch anti-mask Republican, has not addressed the issue since an April 13 council meeting when she brought up the civil rights icon while expressing opposition to masks at in-person council meetings.
UpdatedWed, Apr 28, 2021 at 5:42 pm PT
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Temecula City Council meeting. Top row: Mayor Maryann Edwards, City Manager Aaron Adams, City Attorney Peter Thorsen. Middle row: Mayor Pro Tem Matt Rahn, council members Jessica Alexander and Zak Schwank. Bottom: Council Member James Stewart. (City of Temecula)
TEMECULA, CA Temecula City Council Member Jessica Alexander has come under scrutiny both locally and nationally after she compared taking a stand against California s COVID-19 health mandates particularly mask-wearing to Rosa Parks struggle against racial segregation.
At Tuesday s City Council meeting, Council Member Zak Schwank respectfully encouraged Alexander to apologize for her April 13 comment. Wearing a mask is not a civil rights issue. It s not a battle. It s not a civil rights battle, Schwank said. Equating the two is offensive, and quite honestly, it breaks down all the work that we ve done over the past year.