Rosa Parks: The Mother Of The Civil Rights Movement

Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s race is superior. It is no secret that America has a racist past, but how do you think we got to the world we have today? How did African Americans go from slaves to equals? It is all because of activists like Rosa Parks. Without her help and support, things today would be totally different. All the obstacles she had to overcome throughout her journey made her one of the most influential person the black community has ever seen. Her very interesting life will be discussed in this text.

First of all, I think it is important for you to know where she came from. Born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913, Rosa Parks, from her birth name Rosa Louise McCauley, has always lived in a world filled with discrimination. Racism was a big thing back in the 1900s, with the segregation going on, black oppression was a normal way of life. Under Jim Crow laws, public transportation, restaurants, schools and even drinking fountains were all segregated. Black and white were separate but equals. When Rosa was young, her parents separated and she went to live at her grandparents’ farm in Montgomery with her mother and siblings. Education was important to her but less than family, so she went to school until her grandmother got sick and she had to drop out to take care of her. It is actually her husband ,Raymond Parks, who encouraged her to go back to high school and get her diploma. Her early experience with injustices against persons of colour allowed her to become the brave and courageous woman she was.

Secondly, you may wonder why she decided to dedicate her life to fight for African Americans Civil Rights. Now that you know a little more about her childhood, you can easily understand that she did not like the way the world treated black people. She could not just stand there and look, she knew she had to do something about it. Furthermore, her husband was a good influence for her, because as an activist and a member of the Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he encouraged her to become a member as well. All those things made her who she was. Rosa Parks was a brave woman who saw the unfair treatment of blacks and was tired of it, so she decided to do something significant about it.

Lastly, Rosa Parks never let the disapproval of others get to her and she kept fighting for what she believed in. She took action to change the lives of many people and that is what earned her the title of “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”. People most know her from the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955. Her refusal to give up her seat to a white person got her arrested and while she was in jail, her husband and a lot of other activists launched a 381 days bus boycott where African Americans in Montgomery refused to ride buses. It ended when the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public transportation was unconstitutional. She did not stop there. After the boycott, she continued to help her community. She joined neighborhood groups that worked on different issues such as schools and voter registration. Finally, she worked as a receptionist and an assistant for John Conyers until 1988 when she retired.

In conclusion, Rosa Parks devoted her life to make this world a better place and I think we should thank her for that. All the accomplishments she has made in everyone's lives are very honourable. Her courage and strength should inspire us to stand up for what we know is right.