Rosa Parks
Civil rights activist whose bus protest sparked the Montgomery boycott.
She is sometimes known as the 'mother of the civil rights movement'.
- field
- Civil rights activism
- nationality
- American
Lore & Background
Before Parks's refusal, several Black Montgomerians had refused to surrender their seats, including 15-year-old Claudette Colvin. After Parks was found guilty, the boycott was extended indefinitely, with the Montgomery Improvement Association organizing community transportation. Gayle. After the boycott, Parks faced financial hardship and health problems. She was a supporter of the Black power movement and an anti-apartheid activist.
Reader's Guide
Gayle, declaring bus segregation unconstitutional. Parks's earlier work as NAACP secretary, investigating cases of racial and sexual violence, laid groundwork for future campaigns. Her sustained activism after the boycott, including support for various civil rights and anti-apartheid causes, and her co-founding of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, underscore her long-term commitment.
Did You Know?
- Before Parks, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin had refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery.
- She was the first Black American to be memorialized in the National Statuary Hall.
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