Raymond Arthur Parks (February 12, 1903 – August 19, 1977) was an American activist in the civil rights movement and barber, best known as the husband of Rosa Parks. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] His wife called him "the first real activist I ever met.” [ 3 ] In 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, promoting youth education and leadership, ensuring that her legacy as a champion for civil rights continued to inspire future generations. Personal Life: Married Life | Husband. Rosa Parks met Raymond Parks in 1932 when she was just 19 years old, and they soon In 1957 Parks moved with her husband and mother to Detroit, where from 1965 to 1988 she worked on the staff of Michigan Congressman John Conyers, Jr. She remained active in the NAACP, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference established an annual Rosa Parks Freedom Award in her honor. In 1987 she cofounded the Rosa and Raymond Parks In 2022, the documentary The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks was released on Peacock; it is the first full-length documentary about Parks. [177] Also that year, a major motion film Bowl Game Armageddon was announced, which will spotlight Rosa Parks and Emmett Till leading up to the 1956 Sugar Bowl and Atlanta riots [ 178 ] [ 166 ] Husband, Raymond Parks. Raymond Parks was born in Wedowee, Alabama, the son of David, a carpenter, and Geri Culbertson Parks. He spent his childhood caring for ill family members and was orphaned as a teen. A mutual friend introduced Raymond to Rosa in the spring of 1931. He proposed on their second date. Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on Feb. 13th, 1913, in Tuskegee, AL. She had one younger brother named Sylvester. Her mother Leona and father, James, separated when Rosa was still quite young. According to a Library of Congress report, Rosa's grandparents Sylvester and Rose, played a key role in Rosa's strong sense of justice. Rosa was An old photograph of Rosa Parks’ husband, Raymond Parks. In 1932, at age 19, Rosa Parks was the first Black woman to lie in the U.S. Capitol after her death on October 24, 2005. In February, 1987, she co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development with Ms. Elaine Eason Steele in honor of her husband, Raymond (1903-1977). The purpose is to motivate and direct youth not targeted by other programs to achieve their highest potential. In 1932 she married Raymond Parks, a barber and member of the NAACP. At that time, Raymond Parks was active in the Scottsboro case. In 1943 Rosa Parks joined the local chapter of the NAACP and was elected secretary. Two years later, she registered to vote, after twice being denied. By 1949 Parks was advisor to the local NAACP Youth Council. - Caption label from exhibit Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words Early Life and Activism: Husband, Raymond Parks. Raymond Parks was born in Wedowee, Alabama, the son of David, a carpenter, and Geri Culbertson Parks. He spent his childhood caring for ill family members and was orphaned as a teen. His famous wife, Rosa Parks, became an iconic civil rights leader during the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama. Yet Rosa’s husband was daring in a far more significant, far-reaching way than the white-lightning-peddling, white stock car owner who shares his name. Even before he and Rosa married, Raymond Parks did dangerous things. In addition to her arrest, Parks lost her job as a seamstress at a local department store. Her husband Raymond lost his job as a barber at a local air force base after his boss forbade him to talk about the legal case. Parks and her husband left Montgomery in 1957 to find work, first traveling to Virginia and later to Detroit, Michigan. When Rosa passed away on October 24, 2005, at the age of 92, people around the world mourned her loss. Her body lay in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, an honor reserved for only a few great Americans. Why Rosa Parks Matters. Rosa Parks’ story is a reminder that courage doesn’t always come with loud speeches or grand gestures. Rosa Parks lived an incredible life, and recently, the house she and her husband first moved into in Detroit has taken on something of a life of its own. The tiny house was once the home of not just the couple, but 17 other relatives as well. A claim began circulating online in early 2024 that civil rights activist Rosa Parks' husband, Raymond Parks, had a car. It's unclear where the rumor originated, but it was repeated by American Rosa Parks and her husband standing in front of a car. (Library of Congress) While the photo is legitimate and can be found in the Library of Congress' archives, the car wasn't owned by Raymond 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 Parks the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to a civilian, and in 1999 the United States Congress honored Rosa Parks with the Congressional Gold Medal. Rosa Parks resided in Detroit until her passing at the age of 92 on October 24, 2005. On October 27, the United States Senate passed a resolution to honor Rosa Parks by The Rosa Parks (McCauley) and Raymond Flat, in Detroit, Michigan, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. The building is significant as the home of civil rights icon Rosa Parks, who lived in the first floor flat with her husband Raymond from 1961 to 1988. Rosa Parks: Well, the first meeting was not at the Baptist Church. The first meeting we had was at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Dr. Martin Luther King's church where he was pastoring. That was — on Friday evening. INTERVIEWER: I'M TALKING ABOUT THE BIG MEETING AT THE — Rosa Parks: Oh, the big meeting at the Holt Street Baptist Church.
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