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 riding the bus in Montgomery, Alabama An African-American, Rosa Parks had lived in the Montgomery area of Alabama since the age of 11. She knew the bus segregation laws there all too well – Black citizens had to ride at the designated back area of the bus, while white people rode at the front. These rules were written in law, but Rosa Parks Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in civil rights and to recommit to the ongoing work of combating discrimination and promoting equality. 10. Legacy of inspiring activism. Rosa Parks’ activism and courage continue to resonate and inspire people around the world. 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. 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. Civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the transformational Montgomery Bus Boycott. 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 Here are 8 major achievements of Rosa Parks: Rosa Parks’ Bus Seat Protest and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In the early 1900s, the city of Montgomery had enacted a discriminatory law (known as the Jim Crows Law), which segregated seats on buses. With this system, black passengers on buses had their seats separated from their white counterparts. April 14, 2005: Parks and the hip-hop group Outkast reach an out-of-court settlement regarding their 1998 song "Rosa Parks." October 24, 2005: Parks dies at the age of 92 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 April 14, 2005: Parks and the hip-hop group Outkast reach an out-of-court settlement regarding their 1998 song "Rosa Parks." October 24, 2005: Parks dies at the age of 92 Early Life of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, and grew up on her grandparents' farm. Her grandfather, a former slave, was a well-respected community member and a leader of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). On December 1, 1955, during a typical evening rush hour in Montgomery, Alabama, a 42-year-old woman took a seat on the bus on her way home from the Montgomery Fair department store where she worked as a seamstress. Before she reached her destination, she quietly set off a social revolution when the bus driver instructed her to move back, and she refused. Rosa Parks, an African American, was I was more resigned than anything else. I don't recall being real angry, not enough to have an argument. I was just prepared to accept whatever I had to face. I asked again if I could make a telephone call. I was ignored. This excerpt is probably more accurate than other accounts of the same event because the reader learns about Rosa Parks from On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of going to the back of the bus, which was designated for African Americans, she sat in the front. Rosa Parks went to a school with all African American students. White and Black people were forced to go to different schools. After she got her high school diploma, she helped her family earn money by working as a seamstress in a department store. Rosa Parks became famous when she was sitting on a bus and refused to give up her seat to a white 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. “One of my greatest pleasures there was enjoying the smell of bacon frying and coffee brewing and knowing that white folks were doing the preparing instead of me. In her famous quote, Rosa Parks encapsulates the profound struggle of human beings to exist authentically amidst societal pressures to conform. She recognizes that our identities and individuality can often clash with the expectations and norms imposed upon us by a world that demands uniformity.
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