Rosa Parks: Activism, Family, and Legacy
Rosa Luise McCauley, known as Rosa Parks, was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, and passed away on October 25, 2005. A prominent civil rights activist, she relocated to Pine Level with her mother and brother after her parents' separation at the age of two. Parks attended the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls and later became a seamstress. In 1932, she wed Raymond Parks, a member of the NAACP. She joined the organization in 1943, serving as secretary for the Montgomery chapter. Her refusal to relinquish her bus seat on December 1, 1955, led to her arrest and ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Later, she moved to Detroit, worked with Congressman John Conyers, co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996.
Key facts
- Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama.
- She married Raymond Parks in December 1932.
- She refused to give up her bus seat on December 1, 1955.
- The Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days.
- The Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional in November 1956.
- She moved to Detroit in 1957.
- She worked for Congressman John Conyers from 1965 to 1988.
- She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999.
Entities
Artists
- Rosa Parks
- Raymond Parks
- James McCauley
- Leona Edwards McCauley
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- John Conyers
- Bill Clinton
Institutions
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
- Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development
- Montgomery Industrial School for Girls
- Booker T. Washington High School
- United States Capitol
- Supreme Court
Locations
- Tuskegee, Alabama
- Alabama
- Pine Level, Alabama
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Detroit, Michigan
- Michigan
- Washington DC
- United States