Rosa Parks

Activist

February 4, 1913 Tuskegee, Alabama, United States

October 24, 2005 Detroit, Michigan, United States

Raymond Parks (m. 1932–1977)

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an American civil rights activist, often referred to as the ‘mother of the freedom movement’ and ‘the first lady of civil rights.’ She was an African-American civil rights activist who ignited the ‘Civil Rights Movement’ by taking a brave step that no other African-American dared to take until then. She lived and worked in Montgomery where racial segregation laws had the black people disadvantaged. Apparently, black people were not allowed to sit alongside white people in public buses. There were special reserved seats for them in the rear end of the bus and their seating was based completely on the discretion of the driver. One day, when Parks was coming back from work, she was asked to give up her seat to a white passenger, to which she said no. She was arrested in 1955 for this act, and the incident caused the ‘Civil Rights Movement’ to flare up. Parks grew up, worked, and lived most of her life in Montgomery where she was part of a social activist group along with her husband. The magnanimity of her actions made her famous. Throughout her life, she devoted her time and energy for social causes and emancipation of African-Americans.