OUTKAST SETTLE AMICABLY WITH PARKS

The hip-hop duo have reached an agreement with civil rights activist Rosa Parks...

OUTKAST have settled a lawsuit with civil rights activist ROSA PARKS.

Parks, who helped trigger the civil rights movement in the 1950s and the rap duo have come to an agreement over the use of her name on the group’s 1998 ‘Aquemini’ album.

Under the settlement, OutKast and co-defendants Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Arista Records LLC and LaFace Records will help to develop educational programs to “enlighten today’s youth about the significant role Rosa Parks played in making America a better place for all races,” according to a written statement.

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According to CNN News, the groups will work with the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute to promote Parks’ legacy.

Parks made history when in 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a bus for a white man in Alabama, and was arrested. Her action led to the 381-day bus boycott led by Martin Luther King and paved the way for desegregation of America’s transport system.

The OutKast song ‘Rosa Parks’ does not mention her by name, but its chorus runs “a-ha, hush that fuss, everybody move to the back of the bus.”

Parks unsuccessfuly sued the band in 1999 for defamation and trademark infringement because they did not ask permission to use her name, but the band were protected under the First Amendment.

However, a second suit, this time directed towards the duo’s record label, was launched last year by her lawyers.

Parks’ guardian – former Detroit mayor and Michigan Supreme Court Justice said that the settlement in the case that has dragged on for years implies no fault by the defendants.

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He said: “The sacrifices and work that Mrs Parks has made during her life to ensure that all people are treated fairly under the law is acknowledged and appreciated by both sides.”

92-year-old Parks was granted a legal guardian for the case as she has been suffering from dementia since at least 2002, according to BBC News.

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