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. Young Rosa often fought back physically against bullying from white children, The Rosa Parks Story, was released in 2002. The movie won the 2003 NAACP Image Award, Christopher Award, and Black Rosa Parks’s papers are also filled with cards from children, wishing her a happy birthday or thanking her for her activism. You can find examples and inspiration for creating similar cards here. Rosa Parks grew up to become the “first lady of civil rights” and an iconic figure admired worldwide. How today’s younger generation face up 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. Find out about her early life, her arrest, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and her legacy. 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 was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in 1955. Learn about her life, her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and her legacy of resistance against racial injustice. She also co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. The nonprofit served young people. Rosa and Raymond never had children of their own, but young people were always important to Rosa. Before Rosa’s arrest, 15-year Claudette Colvin had been arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat. 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’ contributions to the civil rights movement the rape case of Recy Taylor galvanized Alabama and Parks. Taylor was a young Black woman abducted and raped by a group of six white men. Rosa Parks often credited Raymond with influencing her views on equality and activism, reflecting their shared commitment to the civil rights movement and the quest for justice. Net Worth and Earning: Salary. Rosa Parks, renowned as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," dedicated her life to fighting against racial injustice. Rosa Parks was a devout Christian. Quote: "I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people." -- Rosa Parks (See more quotes) # Rosa Parks: The Mother of Civil Rights # Rosa's Story In 1987, Parks co-founded, with friend Elaine Eason Steele, the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, in honor of Raymond Parks, who died in 1977. The organization continues to promote education and life-skills training for young minority people. Since April, 13,000 copies of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, the young readers’ edition of a book by acclaimed historian Jeanne Theoharis, adapted by award-winning YA author Brandy Colbert, have been shipped to teachers requesting copies to pair with their history or language arts curriculum. 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. Rosa Parks sees the energy of young people as a real force for change. 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 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 Adapted for young people from the NAACP Image Award–winning The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert shatter the myths that Parks was meek, accidental, tired, or middle class. They reveal a lifelong freedom fighter whose activism began two decades before her historic stand that sparked the Montgomery bus Indeed: Even as a dreamy, mild-mannered young girl, Rosa McCauley had found the black pulpit intoxicating in the openness it accorded preachers to weave the joyous exaltations and heartrending laments that were legacies of the West African culture passed down from generations of slaves to the sharecroppers of 1920s Alabama.
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