Rosa Parks

Born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4th, 1913, Rosa Louise McCauley was the first of two children born. Her little brother’s name was Sylvester McCauley. Their mother’s name was Leona and their father’s name was James. Her mother was a teacher and her father made a living as a carpenter. When they separated, Rosa Parks moved into her grandparents’ house and spent most of her lifetime on their farm. Her father left and the children were raised by Leona on the farm; with support from Rosa’s grandparents. Sadly, the Ku Klux Klan was very active in that area of town, so she faced a lot of discrimination as a little girl. She was always sick as a girl; therefore, it caused her to be a very small person as she grew up into adulthood. Since she was small, she was picked on a lot; especially in her younger years.

Rosa Parks and her brother attended a black-only school where the school year only lasted 5 months so that the children could still have time to work on the field. She began going to school in Montgomery, Alabama when she was about 11 years of age. Throughout her education life she attended, ‘Miss White’s School for Girls’ in Montgomery, as well as the ‘Montgomery Industrial School for Girls.’ Later on, she attended the ‘Alabama State Teachers College’ but had to leave at the age of 16 to help her grandmother; she became ill and neither Rosa’s brother nor mother could help. She ended up finishing high school in 1933, at the age of 20. To help with the family income, Rosa learned how to type and how to sew.

Later on, Rosa married Raymond Parks; who worked as a barber in 1932. They were both active during the ‘Civil Rights Movement.’ She then became a member of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peop...

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...higan and is currently available to the public. Super Bowl XL was dedicated to Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King. In 1967, Detroit renamed 12th street, ‘Rosa Parks Boulevard.’ In 1980, the NAACP awarded her the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award.

Rosa Parks’ story was the beginning of the ‘Civil Rights Movement’ which was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She was a big inspiration to many people throughout the nation and her dedication and devotion, to ending these segregation laws, changed the entire country. Many people of African descent these days, honor and respect her greatly because without her, we may have not had such a great beginning to giving freedom rights to colored people; and not just African Americans, but also Asians, Mexicans, Russians and many people of different nationalities. We thank Rosa Parks for being brave that day and for standing her ground.