When she was two years old, shortly after the birth of her younger brother, Sylvester, her parents chose to separate. Estranged from their father from then on, the children moved with their mother to live on their maternal grandparents’ farm in Pine Level, Alabama, outside Montgomery. Parks was the first of two children born to James and Leona (Edwards) McCauley. Her parents were farmers who held other jobs as well. Her father worked as a carpenter while her mother was also a teacher. Rosa Parks was married to Raymond Parks for 44 years. They met in late 1931 through a mutual friend and initially became friends before dating briefly. They married on December 18, 1932, when Rosa was 19, in Montgomery, Alabama. Following her act of bravery on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, Rosa Parks and her husband moved to Detroit in 1957, where Parks largely disappeared from public view. There, Parks reconnected with her only sibling, Sylvester McCauley, and her nieces and nephews. They were her only family. Rosa Parks is widely known for her pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, particularly for her refusal to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. However, behind this iconic figure lies a rich and fascinating family history that often goes untold. Rosa’s family taught her the importance of standing tall, even when the world tried to push her down. In 1932, Rosa married Raymond Parks, a barber who was deeply involved in the fight for civil rights. Together, they became active members of their community. Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, USA, to Leona and James McCauley. She belonged to a middle class family. Her father was a carpenter, while her mother was a teacher. Rosa had a younger brother named Sylvester. After her parents separated, Rosa Parks moved to Montgomery with her mother and brother to live with her maternal grandparents. There she grew up on a farm. All the members of Rosa's new family were associated with AME (African Methodist Episcopal Church). Parks’ mother moved the family to Pine Level, Alabama, to live with her parents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards. Both of Parks’ grandparents were formerly enslaved and strong advocates for racial equality; the family lived on the Edwards’ farm, where Parks would spend her youth. The house lived in by Rosa Parks's brother, Sylvester McCauley, his wife Daisy, and their 13 children, and where Rosa Parks often visited and stayed after leaving Montgomery, was bought by her niece Rhea McCauley for $500 and donated to the artist Ryan Mendoza. Childhood, Family, and Education. Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night. 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 honored her as "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement". Parks became an NAACP activist in 1943, participating in several high-profile civil rights Rosa Parks (1913—2005) helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. Her actions An older Rosa Parks recounted how her grandmother grew very angry when a young Rosa told her about the brick incident and worried for her safety. Rosa told her grandmother: “I would rather be lynched than live to be mistreated than not be allowed to say ‘I don’t like it.’” Rosa Parks framed the power of speaking back as fundamental. Rosa Parks, the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" was one of the most important citizens of the 20th century. Mrs. Parks was a seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama when, in December of 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger. The bus driver had her arrested. She was tried and convicted of violating a local ordinance. Her act sparked a citywide boycott of the ROSA LOUISE PARKS BIOGRAPHY. Rosa Louise Parks was nationally recognized as the “mother of the modern day civil rights movement” in America. Her refusal to surrender her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus, December 1, 1955, triggered a wave of protest December 5, 1955 that reverberated throughout the United States. Rosa Parks, a figurehead for equality, not only shaped a nation but also nurtured the generations within her own family tree. Key Influential Ancestors. Someone in Rosa Parks’ lineage who stood as a beacon of strength and perseverance was her paternal grandfather, Anderson McCauley, a former slave who became a successful Alabama farmer. Rosa was determined “never to accept [Jim Crow], even if it must be endured.” In 1932 she married Raymond Parks, a barber and charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) branch, in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa and Raymond had similar personalities and shared an interest in racial politics. Rosa Parks (1913-2005) is one of the most enduring symbols of the tumultuous civil rights era of the mid-twentieth century. Her 1955 arrest in Montgomery for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and set in motion a chain of events that resulted in ground-breaking civil [] Explore genealogy for Rosa (McCauley) Parks born 1913 Tuskegee, Macon, Alabama, United States died 2005 Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States including ancestors + 5 photos + 14 genealogist comments + questions + more in the free family tree community.
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