Learn about Rosa Parks, the civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus in 1955, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Explore her early life, her arrest, her role in the boycott and her legacy. Her autobiography, Rosa Parks: My Story (1992), was written with Jim Haskins. Though achieving the desegregation of Montgomery’s city buses was an incredible feat, Parks was not satisfied with that victory. She saw that the United States was still failing to respect and protect the lives of Black Americans. The Rosa Parks Story (2002) starred Angela Bassett; film scholar Delphine Letort argued that in the work, "the historical narrative of the civil rights movement is simplified into a story that reproduces stereotypes popularized by both race melodramas and mainstream media." A biographical movie starring Angela Bassett and directed by Julie Dash, The Rosa Parks Story, was released in 2002. The movie won the 2003 NAACP Image Award, Christopher Award, and Black Reel Award. Unfortunately, Parks was forced to withdraw after her grandmother became ill. Growing up in the segregated South, Parks was frequently confronted with racial discrimination and violence. She became active in the Civil Rights Movement at a young age. Parks married a local barber by the name of Raymond Parks when she was 19. 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. Learn about the life and legacy of Rosa Parks, the "mother of the modern day civil rights movement" in America. Read about her early years, her refusal to give up her seat on a bus, her activism, her awards, and her institute for self development. Learn about Rosa Parks' life, legacy, and the bus boycott she sparked in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. Find out how she joined the fight for fair housing and civil rights in Detroit and received many honors and awards. 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 The family moved to Montgomery; Rosa went to school and became a seamstress. She married barber Raymond Parks in 1932, and the couple joined the Montgomery National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). When she inspired the bus boycott, Parks had been the secretary of the local NAACP for twelve years (1943-1956). In 1980, following the deaths of her husband (1977), brother (1977) and mother (1979), Parks, along with The Detroit News, and the Detroit Public school system, founded the Rosa L. Parks Scholarship Foundation. Parks also co-founded, with Elaine Steele, the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development in 1987. Discover the story of one woman's successful fight against segregation in 1950's America. Find out more with Bitesize KS1 History. There, when a woman called Rosa Parks refused to give up her 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 Railroad sites. In 1992, Rosa Parks published her autobiography Rosa Parks: My Storyfor young people to learn about her real life story. Rosa Parks received numerous awards and tributes in her lifetime, including the NAACP's highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, in 1970, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in 1980. In 1996, President Bill On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks rejected the bus driver's order to give up her seat in the coloured section to a white passenger, aft However, both women were rejected because community leaders felt they would not gain support. Rosa Parks, with her flawless character, quiet strength, and moral fortitude, was seen as an ideal candidate. And those community leaders were right: Rosa Parks’ subsequent arrest by local police sparked a collective and sustained community response. Rosa Parks' Bus . In 1955, African Americans were still required by a Montgomery, Alabama, city ordinance to sit in the back half of city buses and to yield their seats to white riders if the Rosa Parks recalls events leading to her peaceful defiance against racial bus segregation and inspiring the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. Subtitles: English Starring: Angela Bassett Peter Francis James Tonea Stewart Cicely Tyson Dexter King Afemo Omilami Sonny Shroyer Mike Pniewski Chardé Manzy Charles Black Parks continued to face harassment following the boycott’s successful conclusion and decided to move to Detroit to seek better employment opportunities. Shortly before her departure, the MIA declared 5 August 1957 “Rosa Parks Day.” A celebration was held at Mt. Zion AME Zion Church, and $800 was presented to Parks. Her autobiography, Rosa Parks: My Story, appeared in 1992. Parks was the recipient of two of the U.S. government’s most prestigious civilian honors—the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1996) and the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor (1999)—for her contributions to the civil rights movement. Parks died on October 24, 2005, in Detroit.
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