Rosa Parks (born February 4, 1913, Tuskegee, Alabama, U.S.—died October 24, 2005, Detroit, Michigan) was an American civil rights activist whose refusal to relinquish her seat on a public bus precipitated the 1955–56 Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama, which became the spark that ignited the civil rights movement in the United States. Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4, 1913, to Leona (née Edwards), a teacher, and James McCauley, a carpenter.In addition to African ancestry, one of Parks's great-grandfathers was Scots-Irish, and one of her great-grandmothers was a part–Native American slave. After a long day’s work at a Montgomery department store, where she worked as a seamstress, Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue bus for home on December 1, 1955. Parks work proved to be invaluable in Detroit’s Civil Rights Movement. She was an active member of several organizations which worked to end inequality in the city. By 1980, after consistently giving to the movement both financially and physically Parks, now widowed, suffered from financial and health troubles. The Rosa Parks Library and Museum on the campus of Troy University in Montgomery, Alabama, was dedicated to her on December 1, 2000. It is located on the corner where Parks boarded the famed bus. The documentary "Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks" received a 2002 nomination for Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject. She also 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 December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks Is Arrested. On Thursday, December 1, 1955, the 42-year-old Rosa Parks was commuting home from a long day of work at the Montgomery Fair department store by bus. Black Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an American civil rights activist, often referred to as the ‘mother of the freedom movement’ and ‘the first lady of civil rights.’ She was an African-American civil rights activist who ignited the ‘Civil Rights Movement’ by taking a brave step that no other African-American dared to take until then. The papers of Rosa Parks (1913-2005) span the years 1866-2006, with the bulk of the material dating from 1955 to 2000. The collection, which contains approximately 7,500 items in the Manuscript Division, as well as 2,500 photographs in the Prints and Photographs Division, documents many aspects of Parks's private life and public activism on behalf of civil rights for African Americans. Rosa Parks smiles during a ceremony where she received the Congressional Medal of Freedom in Detroit on Nov. 28, 1999. Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man sparked the Rosa and Raymond began working at the installation in 1941; Rosa secured a job as a seamstress at the Field Guest House, and Raymond became a barber. Maxwell began as the Wright Flying School in 1910 and was used as a repair depot during World War I before the US Army purchased the field in 1919; the War Department later redesignated it Maxwell The Montgomery Bus Boycott is seen as a turning point in the fight for racial equality and justice, and Rosa Parks' bravery and determination played a crucial role in its success. Early Life and Activism Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Rosa Parks’s legacy has been honored through various awards, including the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Numerous memorials and museums also commemorate her contributions to the civil rights movement. What can we learn from Rosa Parks today? Rosa Parks’s story teaches us the importance of standing up for In 1983, based on Rosa Parks’ great achievements in the civil rights movement, she got inducted into the “Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame”. Rosa Parks was secretary to a Michigan Congressman. Rosa Parks became the personal Secretary of a high-profile U.S politician (a congressman by name John Conyers). Rosa Louise McCauley Parks is simply not widely known beyond “a tired old lady, who was not the first.” Q: Why does the legacy of Rosa Parks resonate with you so much? A: The work towards human rights, equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, remains a long-term goal, central to Auntie Rosie. Fourteen years before her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks worked as a civilian airwoman at what was then known as Maxwell Field, where public spaces and the base trolley were not racially segregated. “You might just say Maxwell opened my eyes up,” Ms. Parks reflected. “It was an alternative to the ugly policies of Rosa Parks is often remembered as the quiet seamstress who ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Yet, her history as an advocate against sexual violence is often overlooked. Parks’ work demonstrates how the fight against sexual violence is inseparably linked to the fight against systemic oppression, particularly racism, sexism, and misogynoir. Civil rights icon Rosa Parks worked as a seamstress at Maxwell Air Field in the 1940s. became a writer. His work has appeared in Recoil Magazine, Military Times, Coffee or Die, Skillset What’s in the Rosa Parks Worksheet? This free printable Rosa Parks worksheet provides a fact-filled activity that encourages young people to explore the life of Rosa Louise McCauley Parks and her pivotal role in the civil rights movement. Kids can research all about this period of history and fill in their own biography of Rosa Parks. 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 []
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.