On Jan. 17, when we celebrated Martin Luther King Day and paused to honor that renowned civil rights leader, I thought about the hundreds of unnamed men and women who were also "leaders" in their own selfless way by participating in the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott.

These were people who willingly walked miles to and from work for 381 days in order to help bring about a change in the demeaning transportation system in that city that forced African-Americans to sit in the rear of the bus, or give up their seat to a white passenger if the driver ordered them to do that.

We'll probably never know the names of those brave men and women but, nevertheless, we can pause for a few minutes, even today, to think about them and reflect on the courage and determination they demonstrated.

Fredda C. Clisham Ann Arbor