Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks Biography

By Shawn Landden & Chris Bowen

Table of Contents

i. Forward - Sage Waters Speaks

ii. Introduction - An introduction to Rosa Parks

iii. Timeline - Dates of major events in Rosa Parks Life

1. Chapter 1: In the Beggining - Before The Boycott

2. Chapter 2: The Boycott Begins - It all Begins

3. Chapter 3: The Aftermath - Whats happened to Parks since

iv. Bibliography - Additional Resources

Forward

Rosa Parks' courage to stand up for rights as a citizen of the USA inspires me to this day to stand up for the ideals of freedom & justice for all. Rosa Parks influenced many northerners & lawmakers to look squarely at the discrimination victimizing Alabama's black people, and work to correct injustice.

A vital democracy requires citizen participation! The civil rights movement must continue today as immigrants, especially Arabs and Arab look-alikes are victims of prejudice. Washington Territory and Washington State were too long dominated by the Ku Klux Klan. We need active human rights advocates today to ensure dignity for all people.

Shawn Landden [& Chris Bowen]'s biography of Rosa Parks is recommended reading for all who aspire to a successful democracy today.

- Sage Waters,March, 2002

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Introduction

Many people know Rosa Parks. She was an important part of the Civil Rights Movement; she was arrested for not giving up her seat on a public bus to a white man when he wanted it. She was sick of being pushed around and shamelessly showed it by demanding respect.

After this incident the black community started a major bus boycott. It started as a laughable situation that was expected to stop in a few days but ended as a serious problem for the Montgomery Bus Company. For over a year, the black community would not ride the buses. This ended when the U.S. Supreme Court declared bus segregation unconstitutional. This victory, without a doubt, made all African Americans confident to continue the Civil Rights Movement.

Even before Rosa's arrest, Montgomery's black leaders had been discussing a boycott from the buses. They used her arrest as "a spark to light the fire that is the boycott". That is why the name Rosa Parks will be remembered for years to come.

In this biography you will read about Rosa Parks' life before the boycott including her childhood, education, jobs, and ambitions. You will also learn about her life during the boycott, which will include her struggle toward her goals, and her life after the boycott, which will include her continuing work for civil rights.

I hope you learn many things about Rosa Parks and her life, in this Biography, and I hope you remember the name Rosa Parks for years to come.

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Timeline

February 4, 1913 Rosa McCauley born in Tuskegee Alabama

1918 Enters school in Pine Level, Alabama

1924 Begins attending school in Montgomery

1929 Leaves school to care for grandmother

December 1932 Marries Raymond Parks in Pine Level

1933 Receives high school degree

December 1943 Becomes secretary of NAACP

1943 Is denied after trying to register to vote

1944 Is denied once more trying to register to vote

1945 Finally receives voting certificate

1949 Advisor of NAACP Youth Council

Summer 1955 Attends workshop in Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee for the first time

August 1955 Meets Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

December 1, 1955 Arrested for not giving up her seat to a white man.

December 5, 1955 Stands Trial; found guilty

1955 Attends meeting of ministers who have formed the Montgomery Improvement Association

1955 Start ofMontgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott

January 1956 Loses job at Montgomery Fair Department store

February 21 1956 Reindicted for boycotting

November 13 1956 Segregation on Montgomery buses declared unconstitutional by United States Supreme Court

December 21 1956 Boycotters return to buses

1957 Rosa moves to Detroit

1963 Attends Civil Rights March on Washington

March 1965 Participates in Selma-to-Montgomery march

1965 Begins working for congressman John Conyers in Detroit

1977 Raymond Parks Dies

1979 Leona McCauley (Rosa's Mother) dies

1987 Founds the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development

September 1988 Retires from working for John Conyers

1989 Attends dedication to Civil Right memorial in Montgomery, Alabama

February 28 1991 Bust of Rosa Parks unveiled at Smithsonian

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Chapter 1: In the Beggining

Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913. Her parents were Leona Edwards and James McCauley. Her father was a carpenter. Rosa's Mother was a teacher. This meant that Leona could home-school Rosa, which she did until Rosa was eleven. When Rosa was two, her family moved to Pine Level, Alabama and lived with her maternal