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 on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, USA, to Leona and James McCauley. She belonged to a middle class family. Her father was a carpenter, while her mother was a teacher. Her parents separated and she moved to Pine Level with her mother. Who Were Rosa Parks Parents? 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. 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. There, we will explore in details the history and motivations of America’s First Lady of Civil Rights: Rosa Parks. Growing up and Early Life. Born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, Rosa Parks was like any other kid living in a very chaotic period of America. James McCauley and Leona McCauley were her parents. They were early activists in the celebrated Scottsboro case and the Voters League in Montgomery. In 1943, she became the secretary of the Montgomery NAACP and, in 1949, its youth adviser. Under the leadership of Rosa Parks and E. D. Nixon the branch focused on voter registration and cases of racial discrimination and violence. Unfortunately, Parks was forced to withdraw after her grandmother became ill. Growing up in the segregated South, Parks was frequently confronted with racial discrimination and violence. She became active in the Civil Rights Movement at a young age. Parks married a local barber by the name of Raymond Parks when she was 19. Parks was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. Her legacy lives on through various memorials, including the Rosa Parks Library and Museum in Montgomery and the Rosa Parks statue in the U.S. Capitol. Cultural Impact. Parks’s story has transcended her lifetime, becoming a symbol of courage and resilience. In 2000, Troy University created the Rosa Parks Museum, located at the site of her arrest in downtown Montgomery, Alabama. In 2001, the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, consecrated Rosa Parks Circle, a 3.5-acre park designed by Maya Lin, an artist and architect best known for designing the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. By refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus, Rosa Parks is known as “the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” Her decision sparked campaigns around the country, which eventually led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. Who was Rosa Parks and what did she do? Rosa Parks was born Rosa McCauley on February 4 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 was born as Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913. She grew up on a farm with her maternal grandparents, mother, and younger brother Sylvester. She attended Up from Pine Level Nobody knows exactly where in Tuskegee, Alabama, Rosa McCauley was born on February 4, 1913. The town newspaper reported that the skies were clear and it was unseasonably warm that day, but beyond that, and the fact that she was named after her maternal grandmother, Rose, virtually no reliable documentation exists on the early years of Rosa Louise Parks. It connects Rosa Parks’s actions to current social justice movements. Ideal for civil rights anniversaries, leadership conferences, and educational events. #3 A Legacy That Lives On. Honored guests and fellow citizens, today we celebrate the enduring legacy of Rosa Parks, a woman whose quiet strength changed America. The Early Years of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks, whose birth name was Rosa Louise McCauley, was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, on February 4, 1913. Rosa Parks’ parents were both African-American. Her parents separated when she was a baby and she moved to live in Pine Level with her mother’s parents. She grew up here on a farm along with her younger 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. This day serves as a tribute to her courage, resilience, and determination in challenging racial segregation and inspiring change. 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 has become one of the most iconic figures in modern American history, but she didn’t intend to change the world on that day. She had simply had a firm belief in maintaining her dignity, and would not be treated differently because of the color of her skin. 1 Ava Ornelas Saini English 3-4 acc 28 February 2019 Rosa Parks Growing up when everything was segregated in Alabama was difficult because had fewer rights and was always considered less than everyone else. Although it was difficult I was never ashamed of being who I am, because being Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was perfectly fine. For me, a middle-class white boy growing up in Southern California, living among the orange groves in a cookie-cutter housing development and hanging out with friends whose white-collar dads all seemed to be a part of the soaring (pardon the pun) aerospace industry, what was happening to “colored people” down in Alabama, Mississippi, and
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