Rosa Parks

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Rosa Parks statue NSHC

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The United States Congress has called her "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement".

Early Life

Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, to James McCauley, a carpenter, and Leona Edwards, a teacher. She grew up on her grandparents' farm in Pine Level, Alabama. After her parents separated, she moved with her mother to Pine Level, Alabama, where she was raised on her grandparents' farm. Parks attended rural schools until the age of eleven, then enrolled at the Industrial School for Girls in Montgomery, where she took academic and vocational courses. Parks left school in the eleventh grade to care for her grandmother and later her mother, after they became ill.

Activism

Rosa Parks' activism began long before her famous act of civil disobedience on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery city bus, in violation of local segregation laws. Her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal event in the civil rights movement. Parks was not the first person to resist bus segregation, but her quiet strength and moral courage became a symbol of the struggle for racial equality.

Parks was an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), serving as the secretary to E.D. Nixon, the president of the Montgomery chapter. Her work with the NAACP involved investigating incidents of racial injustice and advocating for the rights of African Americans.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Montgomery Bus Boycott, which began the day of Parks' court hearing, lasted for 381 days. The boycott led to a United States District Court ruling in Browder v. Gayle that bus segregation is unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. This victory was a significant milestone in the civil rights movement and marked the emergence of Martin Luther King Jr. as a national leader.

Later Life and Legacy

After the boycott, Parks faced continued harassment and threats in Montgomery. In 1957, she moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she continued her activism, working as an administrative aide for Congressman John Conyers. In her later years, Parks wrote an autobiography and continued to receive numerous honors for her contributions to civil rights.

Rosa Parks passed away on October 24, 2005, at the age of 92. Her life and legacy are celebrated in the United States and around the world. Parks has been honored with statues, streets named after her, and her homecoming day in Alabama is celebrated as Rosa Parks Day.

Honors and Awards

Throughout her life, Parks received numerous awards and honors, including the NAACP's Spingarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal. She is remembered as a symbol of dignity and strength in the struggle against racial discrimination.

See Also

• Civil Rights Movement
• Montgomery Bus Boycott
• NAACP
• Martin Luther King Jr.