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 (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. The Rosa Parks Collection is housed in the Manuscript Division, on loan to the Library for 10 years from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. 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. The Early Years: Tracing Rosa Parks’ Roots. Rosa Louise McCauley was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her parents were Leona Edwards and James McCauley. While Rosa’s immediate family played an important role in shaping her character and values, it is equally important to explore the historical context in which she grew up. Rosa Parks, born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, was the daughter of James McCauley, a skilled carpenter and stonemason, and Leona Edwards McCauley, a teacher. Growing up in a middle-class family, Rosa faced challenges from a young age. 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. California and Missouri commemorate Rosa Parks Day on her birthday February 4, while Ohio and Oregon commemorate the occasion on the anniversary of the day she was arrested, December 1. 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. Rosa Parks Family Background In this section of the article, we will discuss the family background of Rosa Parks. Rosa was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her mother Leona McCauley was a teacher, and her father James McCauley was a carpenter. She's on a national tour promoting "Our Auntie Rosa: The Family of Rosa Parks Remembers Her Life and Lessons," (Penguin, $24.95). Rosa Parks, known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” was born on February 4, 1913. She grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama, and later moved to Montgomery. Her husband, Raymond Parks, was a Rosa Parks (center, in dark coat and hat) rides a bus at the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Montgomery, Alabama, Dec. 26, 1956. Don Cravens/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images. Most of us know Rosa Parks as the African American woman who quietly, but firmly, refused to give up her bus seat to a white person Dec. 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama. That small act of A Twitter user wrote, "A year later all segregation laws on public transport were ended. In 1999, Rosa Parks was recognized as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”." Another user wrote, "On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus. More information about Kennedy’s work, quotes from Parks, and advice for how kids can use similar techniques is also included in the Library’s family activity kit, Remembering Rosa Parks. Although Rosa and her husband Raymond Parks had no children of their own, children were a significant part of Rosa Parks’s life. She was a beloved aunt Parks’s arrest took a toll on the Parks family; both Rosa and Raymond Parks ended up unemployed (through a firing and a resignation, respectively). The Parks left Montgomery for Hampton, Virginia in 1957, and then relocated permanently to Detroit, Michigan, where Parks found work as a seamstress. 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 (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 Rosa Parks married Raymond A. Parks in 1932. They remained married until his death in 1977. Source: Library of Congress. Rosa Parks graduated from high school. Rosa Parks earned her diploma in 1933 when less than 7% of African Americans graduated from high school. She had dropped out to care for her dying grandmother, but after getting married 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. FULL NAME: Rosa Louise McCauley Parks BORN: February 4, 1913 DIED: October 24, 2005 BIRTHPLACE: Tuskegee, Alabama SPOUSE: Raymond Parks (1932-1977) ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius Childhood, Family Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. When she was a child she was often sick and sadly had to spend a lot of time in bed. Then when she was two their family moved to live with their grandparents on a farm in a town called Pine Level. Rosa loved being on the farm with her family.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() | |
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |