Rosa Parkes

Rosa McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, on 4th February, 1913 !hen Rosa was a chil" her mother, #eona McCauley, se$arate" %rom her husban" an" mo&e" to Montgomery McCauley was a school teacher an" encourage" her "aughter to be acti&e in the struggle %or ci&il rights 'n 193( Rosa marrie" a barber, Raymon" Parks )oth were members o% the *ational Association %or the A"&ancement o% Coloure" Peo$le +*AACP, an" Rosa ser&e" as the secretary o% the Montgomery cha$ter -urng this $erio" she became close %rien"s with Phili$ Ran"ol$h, ."gar *i/on an" .lla )aker These acti&ists worke" within a range o% "i%%erent organi0ations This inclu"e" the Congress o% Racial .1uality +C2R., .stablishe" in 194(, by a grou$ o% stu"ents in Chicago, members were mainly $aci%ists who ha" been "ee$ly in%luence" by 3enry -a&i" Thoreau an" the teachings o% Mahatma 4an"hi an" the non&iolent ci&il "isobe"ience cam$aign that he use" success%ully against )ritish rule in 'n"ia The stu"ents became con&ince" that the same metho"s coul" be em$loye" by blacks to obtain ci&il rights in America 'n early 1945, C2R. announce" $lans to sen" eight white an" eight black men into the -ee$ 6outh to test the 6u$reme Court ruling that "eclare" segregation in interstate tra&el unconstitutional organi0e" by 4eorge 3ouser an" )ayar" Rustin, the 7ourney o% Reconciliation was to be a two week $ilgrimage through 8irginia, *orth Carolina, Tennessee an" 9entucky The 7ourney o% Reconciliation began on 9th A$ril, 1945 The team inclu"e" 4eorge 3ouser, )ayar" Rustin, 7ames Peck, 'gal Roo"enko, *athan !right, Conra" #ynn, !allace *elson, An"rew 7ohnson, .ugene 6tanley, -ennis )anks, !illiam !orthy, #ouis A"ams, 7ose$h Felmet, !orth Ran"le an" 3omer 7ack Members o% the 7ourney o% Reconciliation team were arreste" se&eral times 'n *orth Carolina, two o% the A%rican Americans, )ayar" Rustin an" An"rew 7ohnson, were %oun" guilty o% &iolating the state:s 7im Crow bus statute an" were sentence" to thirty "ays on a chain gang 3owe&er, 7u"ge 3enry !hit%iel" ma"e it clear he %oun" that beha&iour o% the white men e&en more ob;ectionable 3e tol" 'gal Roo"enko an" 7ose$h Felmet< ='t:s about time you 7ews %rom *ew >ork learne" that you can:t come "own her bringing your niggers with you to u$set the customs o% the 6outh 7ust to teach you a lesson, ' ga&e your black boys thirty "ays, an" ' gi&e you ninety = 'n Montgomery, like most towns in the -ee$ 6outh, buses were segregate" Rosa Parks an" other ci&il rights acti&ists consi"ere" using

these tactics in Montgomery 3owe&er, un"er $ressure %rom the *AACP, this ne&er took $lace Thurgoo" Marshall, hea" o% the *AACP:s legal "e$artment, was strongly against these tactics an" warne" that a ="isobe"ience mo&ement on the $art o% *egroes an" their white allies, i% em$loye" in the 6outh, woul" result in wholesale slaughter with no goo" achie&e" = 'n early 19??, Clau"ette Col&in, a 1? year ol" black girl was "ragge" o%% a bus in Montgomery an" arreste" %or not gi&ing u$ her seat to a white $erson The *AACP now agree" to take u$ the Col&in inci"ent as a test case 't belie&e" that this woul" result in a similar outcome to the 19?4 6u$reme Court "ecision on segregation in e"ucation 3owe&er, the *AACP "eci"e" to "ro$ the i"ea when they "isco&ere" that Col&in was $regnant They knew that the authorities in Montgomery woul" use this against them in the $ro$agan"a war that woul" ine&itably take $lace "uring this legal battle 2n 1st -ecember, 19??, Rosa Parks, le%t Montgomery Fair, the "e$artment store where she worke", an" got on the same bus as she "i" e&ery night As always she sat in the =black section= at the back o% the bus 3owe&er, when the bus became %ull, the "ri&er instructe" Rosa to gi&e u$ her seat to a white $erson This ha" ha$$ene" to Rosa se&eral times be%ore 'n %act, the same bus "ri&er ha" %orce" her o%% the bus in 1943 %or committing the same o%%ence 2nce again she re%use" an" was arreste" by the $olice 6he was %oun" guilty o% &iolating the segregation law an" %ine" 't was only at this stage, a%ter consulting %rien"s an" %amily, that she "eci"e" to a$$roach the *AACP an" &olunteer to become a test case This was a bra&e "ecision as she knew it woul" result in $ersecution by the white authorities For e/am$le, Parks was imme"iately sacke" %rom her tailoring ;ob with Montgomery Fair Martin #uther 9ing, a $astor at the local )a$tist Church, agree" to hel$ organi0e $rotests against bus segregation 't was "eci"e" that %rom ?th -ecember, black $eo$le in Montgomery woul" re%use to use the buses until $assengers were com$letely integrate" 9ing was arreste" an" his house was %ire@bombe" ."gar *i/on su%%ere" the same %ate 2thers in&ol&e" in the Montgomery )us )oycott also ha" to en"ure harassment an" intimi"ation, but the $rotest continue" For thirteen months the 15,AAA black $eo$le in Montgomery walke" to work or obtaine" li%ts %rom the small car@owning black $o$ulation o% the city .&entually, the loss o% re&enue an" a "ecision by the 6u$reme Court %orce" the Montgomery )us Com$any to acce$t integration, an" the boycott came to an en" on (Ath -ecember, 19?B A%ter the success o% this cam$aign, Parks became known as the =mother o% the Ci&il Rights Mo&ement= Rosa an" her %amily were now targets %or white racists an" in 19?5 the

%amily "eci"e" to mo&e to -etroit #ater she became a s$ecial assistant to -emocratic Congressman, 7ohn Conyers Rosa remaine" acti&e in the *ational Association %or the A"&ancement o% Coloure" Peo$le an" in 19C5 she %oun"e" the Rosa an" Raymon" Parks 'nstitute %or 6el%@-e&elo$ment, which aime" to hel$ the young an" e"ucate them about ci&il rights The 6outhern Christian #ea"ershi$ Con%erence +6C#C, also establishe" an annual Rosa Parks Free"om Awar" 3er autobiogra$hy, Rosa Parks: My Story, was $ublishe" in 199( Rosa Parks "ie" on (4th 2ctober, (AA?

Rosa Parks having her fingerprints taken after her arrest on 1st December, 1955.