Rosa Parks Day Inspires 57 Years On (VIDEO)
On Dec. 1, 1955 a black woman made history when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white male passenger in Montgomery, Ala. sparking outrage.
Rosa Parks Bus Protest Reenacted by PalestiniansRosa Parks displayed tremendous courage for her unwillingness to leave her bus seat and was ultimately arrested for violating a city ordinance, but Parks’ refusal on this day 57 years ago has transformed U.S. history.
The decision to stay put and get arrested by civil rights icon, known as “the mother of the modern-day civil rights movement,” added fuel to a burgeoning civil rights crusade that resulted in a 362 day Montgomery Bus boycott.
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The boycott was organized by none other than Baptist minister Martin Luther King, Jr. and ultimately propelled the young civil rights activist to the forefront of the movement.
Parks was born in Tuskegee, Ala. in 1913. She was a seamstress by trade who was active in the Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NACCP).
“At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in,” Parks had said of the historic day she was arrested.
“I had no idea when I refused to give up my seat on that Montgomery bus that my small action would help put an end to the segregation laws in the South,” Parks had said.
Parks died on Oct. 24, 2005, just a little more than a month prior to the 50th anniversary of her courageous act.
