Rosa Parks

Rosa Louise Parks (born February 4, 1913 as Rosa Louise McCauley) is a retired African-American seamstress and figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, most famous for her refusal in 1955 to give up a bus seat to a white man who was getting on the bus.

Civil rights and political activity

Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, daughter of James and Loeona McCauley. She grew up on a farm with her grandparents, mother, and brother; for most of her adult life she worked as a seamstress.

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In the early 1950s, Parks became active in the American Civil Rights Movement and worked as a secretary for the Montgomery, Alabama branch of the NAACP. Just six months before her arrest, she had attended the Highlander Folk School, an education center for workers' rights and racial equality.

Related Topics:
1950s - American Civil Rights Movement - Montgomery - Alabama - NAACP - Highlander Folk School - Racial equality

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On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Parks refused to obey a public bus driver's orders to move to the back of the bus to make extra seats for whites. Rosa was tired of being treated as a second-class citizen and stood firmly. She was arrested, tried, and convicted for disorderly conduct and for violating a local ordinance.

Related Topics:
December 1 - 1955 - Disorderly conduct

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The very next night, 50 leaders of the African-American community, headed by a relatively unknown minister (Martin Luther King, Jr.) gathered to discuss the proper actions to be taken after Mrs. Parks' arrest. What ensued next was the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The entire black community boycotted public buses for 381 days. Dozens of public buses stood idle for months until the law legalizing segregation in public buses was lifted. This event helped spark many other protests against segregation. In helping in this boycott, Rosa Parks helped make her fellow Americans aware of the history of the civil rights struggle.

Related Topics:
Martin Luther King, Jr. - Montgomery Bus Boycott - Segregation

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In 1956 Parks's case ultimately resulted in United States Supreme Court's ruling that segregated bus service was unconstitutional.

Related Topics:
1956 - United States Supreme Court

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Afterwards, Parks became an icon of the civil rights movement. She moved to Detroit in the early 1960s and served on the staff of U. S. Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan) from 1965 until 1988. She continues to reside in Detroit.

Related Topics:
Detroit - 1960s - U. S. Representative - John Conyers - D - Michigan - 1965 - 1988

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