Remembering the Life of Rosa Parks on Her 108th Birthday
Americans across the nation honor Rosa Park’s birthday by remembering her legacy and reflecting on her pivotal role in the civil rights movement.
Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. She grew up in the deep south during a time of segregation and severe racial discrimination. In 1955, Rosa Parks was on riding the Montgomery public bus home from work. There were several segregation laws at this time, and one of them required that on the public bus, Black passengers must sit in the back of the bus or stand. Parks was asked to give her seat to a white male passenger but refused. The police arrested Parks for violating segregation laws. Rosa Park’s arrest led to the civil rights protest known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and consisted of African Americans refusing to ride city buses to protest segregated seating. A year later, in 1956, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public transport segregation was unconstitutional. The Montgomery Bus Boycott is known as one of the most successful movements against racial discrimination due to the court’s legal action.
Rosa Parks was born on this day in 1913.
— Jamaal Bowman (@JamaalBowmanNY) February 4, 2021
Her words here still ring true:
“We have made many improvements … but we still have many challenges to face and many problems to solve.”#BHM pic.twitter.com/PS3uiW21wG
After the bus boycott, Parks struggled to find work, so she and her mother moved to Detriot, MI. She forged a new life in Detriot and was very successful in doing so. After she retired, she traveled to share her support in civil rights events. In 1999, she published her autobiography titled Rosa Parks: My Story. The same year she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest honor in the United States a civilian can be granted. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 92 years old. She lies in recognition at the U.S. Capitol and is the first woman in the nation’s history to be buried there.
We stand on the shoulders of those who came before. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, she was lifting all of us up. Today, on her birthday, we honor her legacy and courage.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) February 4, 2021
Today Rosa Park’s life is remembered in classrooms across the nation. She was a light for our nation during a time of darkness. We remember her courage and strength that helped lead our country to a place of racial equality. Our nation has come so far because of activists like Parks. Even though she is no longer here on earth with us, we celebrate her impact on our nation.
“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free … so other people would be also free.”
— Martin Luther King III (@OfficialMLK3) February 4, 2021
Today, on her birthday, we remember civil rights leader Rosa Parks, a woman whose courage was as great as her love. She is a true example of the power of nonviolent protest. pic.twitter.com/b00GpR1PXe
To become more educated on the civil rights movement, you can visit this website. If you are interested in reading Rosa Park’s autobiography, you can order it on Amazon.
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