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 Presidential Medal of Freedom is a testament to Parks’ remarkable contributions and the lasting legacy she left behind. 9. Commemorated on Rosa Parks Day. Rosa Parks’ legacy and impact are celebrated annually on Rosa Parks Day, observed on February 4th in several U.S. states. Rosa Parks chose to be arrested instead of giving up her seat and became a symbol of the fight against an unjust, racist system. She was nicknamed “the first lady of civil rights” by the U.S. Congress. The Early Life And Activism Of Rosa Parks . Rosa Parks was born in 1913 (February 4), in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her maiden name was McCauley. 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, 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’ contributions to the civil rights movement . By the time Parks famously refused to give up a seat on a segregated bus in 1955, she was a well-known figure in the struggle for racial Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. She grew up in a highly segregated and oppressive environment, where racial discrimination was a daily reality. Despite the challenges she faced, Rosa's parents instilled in her a strong sense of self-worth and dignity. Parks also worked with other civil rights leaders, including Malcolm X, and was awarded numerous honors for her contributions to the movement, including the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. Legacy and Impact. Rosa Parks’ legacy extends far beyond her act of defiance on the Montgomery bus. The Rosa Parks Library and Museum opened in Montgomery in 2000. The television movie, The Rosa Parks Story aired on CBS in 2002. After her death, in 2005, her body lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Rosa was the first woman given that distinction. A statue of Rosa Parks was placed in National Statuary Hall in 2006. 02/03/2025 February 3, 2025. She stood up for her rights by staying seated. In the 1950s, Rosa Parks gave the US Civil Rights Movement a huge boost, and inspired Martin Luther King Jr. 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 Parks occupies an iconic status in the civil rights movement after she refused to vacate a seat on a bus in favor of a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1955, Parks rejected a bus driver's order to leave a row of four seats in the "colored" section once the white section had filled up and move to the back of the bus. The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute Of Self-Development was established in 1987 to offer job training for black youth. In 1999, Parks received the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, the highest honor a civilian can receive in the United States. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) also sponsors an annual Rosa Parks Freedom Award. Rosa Parks, a name that resonates with courage and defiance, ushered in a new era of civil rights in the United States. Her singular act of refusing to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, ignited a movement that would change the course of American history. 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. These contributions are worth highlighting as much as her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. There is more that can be learned from the career of Rosa Parks as an activist, even decades after these events took place. This research will build on previous research regarding the life of Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement to highlight her At a ceremony unveiling a statue in her honor last month, President Obama called Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus a “singular act of disobedience Rosa Parks. Author H.H. Leonards highlighted some of the contributions Rosa Parks made to social justice programs and other initiatives throughout her life. In fact, Rosa Parks was just 42 years old when she took that famous ride on a City Lines bus in Montgomery – a town known for being the first capital of the pro-slavery Confederacy during the Rosa Parks an African American from United states, Alabama. Was an average person who at the time of the civil rights movement, segregation was a law for many African Americans, On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks decided to sit down on the front seats of a bus, She than was told to sit down in the back of the bus as she was required to do so and to give up her seat for white individuals that were
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