Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks (February 4, 1913 – Oct 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist most well known for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus. From the time she was born, Rosa lived life as a second hand citizen, oppressed by the color of her skin. Her courageous actions sparked a movement and initiated change towards creating a world where you are loved, and equal, no matter the color of your skin.

Rosa’s Early Years

Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, AL to James (a carpenter) and Leona (a teacher). A little brother soon followed and when her parents separated, both children went to live with Leona at her parents farm in Pine Level, AL. Rosa’s family tree was rooted in slavery as both of her grandparents, and great-grandparents were enslaved. Her grandparents were strong advocates for racial equality and her grandfather taught her to never accept mistreatment. Rosa remembers her grandfather vigilantly protecting their home with a shotgun as members of the Ku Klux Klan walked the street in front of their house. Despite this, life on the farm with her family nearby felt safe.

As a young girl, Rosa did chores, learned to cook and helped her mother and grandmother sew quilts. She even completed her own quilt when she was 10 years old. Family life revolved around the Mount Zion church where her uncle was pastor. They attended church on Sunday followed by prayers and readings from the Bible. Since Rosa’s mother was a teacher, school was important to the family. She attended rural schools until age 11 and remembered having to walk to school since the buses were for white children only. After that, she moved to Montgomery, AL to attend a laboratory school at the Alabama State Teacher’s College for Negros. Unfortunately, Rosa did not complete her diploma at this time. In 11th grade she left school to care for her dying grandmother, then her chronically ill mother after that.

Shortly after leaving school, she met her future husband, Raymond parks, and they were married when she was 19. He was a member of the NAACP and 10 years her senior. With his support, she completed her high school diploma in 1934. At that time, less than 10% of black people were graduates from High School. They were respected members within the black community and eventually Rosa joined her husband in the NAACP.

During her early years with the organization, she worked on criminal justice helping to protect black citizens from false accusations and lynching’s, and to ensure justice for crimes committed against black people. One case in particular stands out where a young woman, Recy Taylor, was abducted and gang raped by 7 white men. This case was important for Rosa as she had fought off an attempted rape attack when she worked as a housekeeper for a young white couple in 1931. Unfortunately, justice was not served for Recy because although Rosa made sure her case received national attention, the grand jury refused to indict the rapists. Rosa and Raymond continued to fight for equality, but daily life in segregated, racist Montgomery was difficult. It would be another 10 years before Rosa had finally had enough.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

In 1955, Rosa worked as a seamstress for the Montgomery Fair department store. She took the bus twice a day for her commute to work. Segregation was written into Montgomery Law and often the drivers would take it upon themselves to aggressively coerce black passengers from their seats if a white person was left standing. This was the case December 1, 1955 and Rosa refused to move. Her bold action and arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott which lasted an incredible 381 days. Participation in the boycott was greater than anyone imaged it could be. Therefore, a separate organization was created to manage it called the Montgomery Improvement Association. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected MIA’s president. After black citizens refused to ride the public bus for over a year, It was finally determined that bus segregation was unconstitutional.

By then, Rosa had lost her job and dealt with harassment on a regular basis. By 1957 Rosa and Raymond decided to move to Virginia to free themselves from the harassment in Montgomery. Eventually, the family moved across the country to Michigan where her younger brother lived. Despite these additional hardships, Rosa had started a movement.

Rosa’s Legacy

Often referred to as the “mother of the modern day civil rights movement,” she had unwittingly inspired so much within the black community and the walls of segregation would slowly be torn down. Some of the most notable events following Dec 1, 1955 include the integration of Central High School by 9 black students known as the Little Rock Nine, the signing of The Civil Rights Act of 1957 by President Eisenhower that allowed prosecution of anyone who tried to prevent someone from voting, and The Greensboro Sit-ins. None of these events came easy and there was significant backlash from within the white community.

Nearly  decade after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed by Lyndon Johnson. It banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, religion and sex. While this was a monumental step in the right direction, enforcing change wasn’t as simple. Even more than 50 years later, systemic racism is still felt and endured by many across the nation.

Even after Rosa moved, she continued to fight for racial equality traveling to support march’s for freedom, helped to raise awareness regarding police brutality against people of color, and engaged in many public speaking events. Most of the money Rosa and Raymond earned went to causes for civil-rights. In 1987, Rosa helped to co-fund the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development to help the youth of Detroit which still serves to motivate young people to reach their highest potential.

Some of Rosa’s most notable awards, honors and distinctions include:

• Received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP (1979)
• The Martin Luther King Jr. Award from the NAACP (1980)
• The Presidential Medal of Freedom (1996)
• The Congressional Gold Medal (1999)
• After she passed away, she was the first woman to lie in honor at the US Capitol
• Cited as one of TIME Magazines “20 Most Influential People of the 20th Century” (1999)

Rosa Parks day is celebrated on her birthday, February 4th, in California and Missouri. This day is not nationally recognized, but it should be! If you enjoyed this article, please share, and don’t forget to honor and celebrate Rosa Parks this February 4th!