African American Struggle for Equality: A Civil Rights Hero Name Rosa Parks African American Struggle for Equality: A Civil Rights Hero Name

Introduction to Rosa’s Life Rosa Parks is often referred to as the “Mother of the Modern day Civil Rights Movement” Her story helps explain how important every individual citizen is in a democracy http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1998/09/25/rosa_600x432.jpg

Background Facts: Rosa Parks Name: Rosa Louis McCauley Parks Birth: February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama Parents: James and Leona McCauley Childhood: Grew up on a small farm with her mother, brother, and grandparents http://pics2.city-data.com/city/maps/fr3100.png

Rosa’s Early Years Education: At age 11, Rosa was began attending the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls This school gave Rosa many new opportunities “Take advantage of the opportunities, no matter how few they are”-- Leona McCauley Rosa remembers life as a child by saying, “Back then, we didn't have any civil rights. It was just a matter of survival, of existing from one day to the next. I remember going to sleep as a girl hearing the Klan ride at night and hearing a lynching and being afraid the house would burn down.” -- Rosa Parks Quotes from: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1

Rosa’s Adult Years Rosa married a barber and civil rights activist, Raymond Parks in 1932 Rosa eventually went on to attend Alabama State College, along with Raymond Parks, in 1943 Rosa worked as a seamstress, housekeeper and later a secretary for the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) http://www.naacpalabamastateconference.org/News/Rosa%20Parks/Rosa-Parks.jpg

A Civil Rights Activist Along with the Montgomery NAACP chapter, Rosa began fighting quietly for equal rights and to improve the position of African Americans in the segregated south Appointed the youth leader in Montgomery "I worked on numerous cases with the NAACP but we did not get the publicity. There were cases of flogging, peonage, murder, and rape. We didn't seem to have too many successes. It was more a matter of trying to challenge the powers that be, and to let it be known that we did not wish to continue being second-class citizens.” -- Rosa Parks Quote from: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1

Segregation in the South Montgomery had very strict segregation laws, especially on busses Laws required blacks to pay fees and then get off bus and board on the back Bus drivers sometimes left without paid costumers Blacks were required to give up their seats to a white costumer A black person was not allowed to sit across from a white person Two thirds of bus riders were black http://minorjive.typepad.com/hungryblues/CleavelandAveBus.png

Boycotting Segregation On December 1, 1955 Rosa took a seat in the front row of the “colored” section of a Montgomery bus The bus filled up, and the driver ordered Parks and three other African- American passengers to move back http://updatecenter.britannica.com/eb/image?binaryId=3390&rendTypeId=4

Boycotting Segregation Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man “I refused to stand up--or in this case, sit down” “I refused to move” The bus driver then called the police and had Rosa arrested, her reply was, “you may do that” Quotes from The Americans, pg 704 http://lquilter.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/RosaParks_4.jpg

The Impact of Rosa Parks The news of Park’s actions traveled fast throughout the African-American community in Montgomery Black community leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association in order to organize the bus boycott They elected Martin Luther King, Jr. to lead the group African Americans filed a lawsuit and refused to ride the busses for 381 days Finally, in 1956, the Supreme Court outlawed bus segregation

A Civil Rights Hero The modern civil rights movement is commonly thought to begin on December 1, 1955, the day Rosa refused to give up a seat on the bus Her act of courage and bravery ended legal segregation in America Rosa Parks became an inspiration to all people who believed in equal rights for all It is with Parks example that gives us all the hope that any individual can change the world

Rosa Parks, who inspired a generation to fight for equality, died in 2005 at the age of 92 http://www.geocities.com/ladyz2u/RosaParksSmile.jpg

Works Cited "Rosa Parks Biography." Academy of Achievement. Oct 31, 2005 09:21 PST. 13 Feb 2008 <http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1>. "Meet Rosa Parks." Scholastic. 13 Feb 2008 <http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4809>.