Rosa Parks, born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913 in was raised in an era during which segregation was normal and black suppression was a way of life. She lived with relatives in Montgomery, where she finished high school in 1933 and continued her education at Alabama State College. She married her husband, Raymond Parks, a barber, in 1932. She worked as a clerk, an insurance salesperson, and a tailors assistant at a department store. She was also employed as a seamstress by white residents of Montgomery who were supporters of black Americans struggle for freedom and equal rights.
Parks became active in civil rights work in the 1930s. In 1943 Rosa became one of the first women to join the Montgomery National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Between 1943 and 1956 she served as a secretary for the group and later as an advisor to the NAACP Youth Council. She also contributed to the Montgomery Voters League to increase black voter registration. During the summer of 1955 Rosa accepted a scholarship given to community leaders which gave her a chance to work on school integration at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee.
This was an excellent opportunity for her because she was able to experience racial harmony which nurtured her activism. Obviously Rosa, like many others, dedicated many years of her life trying to increase equality for black Americans. Though these efforts did not go unnoticed or fail in making any progress, it wasnt until Dec. 1 of 1955 that Rosa made a decision that would later make her known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement. On this significant day Rosa simply refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man who was standing.
Though it seems ridiculous today, she was arrested, jailed, and put to trial because of this. She simply made a silent statement that would forever change her life. This decision sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, not because it was the first time that a black American was arrested for refusing to give up his seat, but because Rosa was already well-known as a black activist and this could be used by the NAACP to address segregation. After her arrest and involvement in the boycott Rosa lost her job at the department store. Two years later in 1957, she and her husband moved to Detroit.
There she worked as a seamstress for eight years before she became Congressman John Conyers administrative assistant. She stayed active in the Civil Rights Movement and joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She also participated in several marches and rallies, and in the mid 80s she made a countless number of public appearances and gave history lessons about the Civil Rights Movement. In 1987 she founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development, which is committed to career training for young black Americans. It was a dream of hers to one day create an institute to help reduce the dropout rate of black youth.
An excellent feature of this Institute is the annual summer program, Pathway to Freedom, for teenagers. The teenagers in the program trace the path of the Underground Railroad, learning the history of the United States and of the Civil Rights Movement. For all of her courage and achievements, Rosa has received many awards and honorary doctorates, among the most notable the Spingarn Medal given by the NAACP, and the Martin Luther King Jr. , Nonviolent Peace Prize. In more recent years Parks has done anything but give up on the fight for equality. Instead she has become a role model for young Americans.
She has written an autobiography entitled Quiet Strength, and spends most of her days reading and responding to mail she receives from students, politicians, and just regular people. In an interview I found on the internet Rosa stated that her main influences in life were Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , her mother, her grandparents, and societys youth. However, after doing research it became obvious to me that her greatest influence, leading up to Dec. 1 of 1955 was society. Rosa was educated and, like everyone else, exposed to the daily hardships that black Americans faced.
It is easy to understand how living in such hardship would have an influence on anyone, but Rosa handled this hardship differently than most. Rather than concealing her views that blacks were treated unfairly and letting them manifest into feelings of hatred or acts of violence, she simply stood up for her belief that everyone should be treated equally. Of course most black Americans that were raised during the same time that Rosa was felt the same way she did, and others were also arrested for refusing to give up their seats on the bus, but unlike Rosa they werent as actively involved in fight for equality as Rosa was.
As mentioned before, Rosa was a member of the NAACP and the group saw this incident as a window of opportunity to bring more attention to the issue of segregation. Being involved in a group with a certain goal will no doubt make a person feel stronger and fight harder for something. Rosa knew that she was not the only one who felt as though blacks were treated unfairly. She was educated and understood that nothing would change until people came together to make a statement.
Many people, myself included, were taught that Rosa Parks was just a tired seamstress who didnt want to give up her seat, but as she wrote in Rosa Parks: My Story, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in. The people that she had personal relationships with definitely influenced her to be such a strong, motivated person, but only inner strength and self-determination could lead her to challenge societys major downfall which is exactly what she did. Mcclain 4 I feel as though Rosas most significant contribution to society is what she is most known for; refusing to move from her seat on the bus.
She stood up for what she believed in and became a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Although I do believe that Rosa Parks was brilliant for standing up for what she believed, I dont feel that simply refusing to move to the back of the bus makes her a heroin. After all, considering the views society held then would make almost anyone assume that such an action would be nothing more than a way to gratify oneself. Ironically, the end result of Rosa Parks actions on that day did much more than bring her self satisfaction. Right away black leaders who had already discussed a boycott against the public bus system decided to put it into effect.
An organization was formed to run the boycott and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , a Baptist minister at the time, was named the president of the organization. This in itself is enough to make Rosas refusal to give up her seat the most significant thing she has done because it gave Martin Luther King Jr. an important role in the fight for equality. Of course it is not necessary for me to go in depth as to why he was important in the Civil Rights Movement, but I thought it necessary to mention that Rosas action ignited his role in history.
Not only did her action make Martin Luther King Jr. a more prevalent figure in the Civil Rights Movement, it also ended in a court ruling that segregation in public transportation is unconstitutional. I realize that there are many other things that Rosa has done to better the lives of black Americans, such as being active in the NAACP, founding the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, actively speaking, and finally just being a role model, but like Martin Luther Kings role these were all set off and brought to the attention of the public when she refused to give up her seat.
This would make that simple action the most significant because it not only changed her life, but it changed the lives of every American. I have no doubt that the process of gaining equal rights would have gradually erupted had it not been for Rosa Parks, but she was a smart lady and she knew that with her status in the black community she could set off a Civil Rights Movement. Students dont learn in introductory classes about all of Rosas great accomplishments, but everyone knows about the day she put her foot down, and for that she is a hero in my eyes.
She forever changed the way black Americans were treated. Furthermore, it wasnt just the action itself that had such an effect, it was the way in which she did it. She didnt argue, she didnt yell or threaten anyone. She did not make a scene. She protested in a peaceful way, and its great to know that even if young people are not taught the details of her life they can admire her and realize that violence and hatred are not needed for things to change. On Dec. 1 of 1955 Rosa simply remained seated, and by doing so took a stand, one that has made her one of the most honorable figures in US history.
