What Did Rosa Parks Do in Her Later Life? Rosa Parks, 76 years old, speaks to a crowd celebrating the 25th anniversary of the signing of civils rights laws. In 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American woman, refused to give up her seat to a White man on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks was a Black civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man ignited the American civil rights movement. Because she played a leading role in the Montgomery bus boycott, she is called the ‘mother of the civil rights movement.’ Her later years saw Parks' work recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. The following timeline covers notable events and achievements in Parks' long Parks later founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, focusing on education and youth development, which further demonstrated her commitment to social causes rather than purely financial gain. Ultimately, while her financial worth might not be quantifiable, her legacy and the esteem in which she is held are invaluable. In December 1955, Rosa Parks ' refusal as a Black woman to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, sparked a citywide bus boycott. That protest came to a successful 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. Born in February 1913, Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist whose refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in 1955 led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her bravery 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' Later Years: What Challenges Did She Face? In her later years, Rosa Parks faced a range of challenges, both personal and societal. Despite her significant contributions to the civil rights movement, she struggled financially and encountered health issues, including the effects of aging and a bout with dementia. After the boycott, Parks and her husband moved to Hampton, Virginia and later permanently settled in Detroit, Michigan. Parks work proved to be invaluable in Detroit’s Civil Rights Movement. She was an active member of several organizations which worked to end inequality in the city. 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 Parks also became involved in various organizations and causes, including the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She dedicated her life to promoting equality and justice for all, and her actions inspired countless others to do the same. Today, Rosa Parks' legacy lives on through her impact on global events. Before she became a nationally admired civil rights icon, Rosa Parks’ life consisted of ups and downs that included struggles to support her family and taking new paths in activism. Along with the Bible, Washington's 1901 autobiography, Up from Slavery, was a fixture in the McCauley house, and years later Rosa Parks told an interviewer that she shared the author's belief in the power of hard work and rigorous thrift. Like many African Americans of the time, Leona McCauley devoured and embraced Washington's "self-help Rosa Parks became an iconic figure in the fight against racial discrimination when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. This act of defiance was more than just a refusal to move; it was a statement against the unjust laws of segregation that plagued the American South. Her arrest was the catalyst for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal 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 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, 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 (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 Rosa married Raymond Parks in 1932. After their marriage she joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The NAACP worked to make life better and fairer for African Americans. Parks became a leader of the NAACP branch in Montgomery.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.