ROSA PARKS
The Courageous, "the First lady of Civil Rights"
History Of Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, an African American civil rights activist, was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. She was weak and tiny as a child and suffered with chronic tonsillitis. She moved with her parents to Pine Level, Alabama at age 2. Soon after that, her parents separated and she was raised on a farm in Pine Level with her maternal grandparents, mother, and younger brother. Parks recalled attending elementary school in Pine Level, where school transportation took white kids to their new school and black kids had to walk to theirs: “I'd see the bus pass every day... But to me, that was a way of life; we had no choice but to accept what was the custom. The bus was among the first ways I realized there was a black world and a white world” (Wikipedia.org). Then at age 11, Rosa situated to Montgomery, Alabama and went to a secondary school there, a laboratory school at the Alabama State Teachers’ College for Negroes. When she was 16, she left earlier in Grade 11 to care for her dying grandmother and chronically ill mother (HISTORY.com). Then in 1932, at age 19, she wedded Raymond Parks, who worked as a hair-dresser and was an old member of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) (HISTORY.com). Rosa and her husband worked as a seamstress and were respected members of Montgomery’s large African-American community. She also joined Montgomery chapter of the NAACP and became secretary in December 1943 and worked closely with chapter President Edgar Daniel (E. D.) Nixon (HISTORY.com).
The Issue
Civil Disobedience
Rosa Parks stood up for what she believed in. When she didn’t give her seat to a white passenger on December 1st, she was arrested by the Alabama police for disobeying an Alabama Law that required black people to give their seats to white people on bus, when needed (“Rosa Parks Was Arrested”). She wasn’t the only African-American to be arrested for not giving her seat to a white individual on a bus (Wikipedia.org). Parks once said about the event, “The time had just come when I had been pushed as far as I could stand to be pushed, I suppose. I had decided that I would have to know, once and for all, what rights I had as a human being, and a citizen.” (“What If Rosa Parks Didn’t Move”). Parks arrest led to a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system and her case was taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, which was big news. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader of the boycott and challenged the public transport (“Rosa Parks Was Arrested”). He claimed on nonviolent action in achieving the goal of justice and said, “we must use the weapon of love.” (Rosa Parks Was Arrested for Civil Disobedience).
Results
In December, 1956, the segregation on the public transportation was banned by the U.S. Supreme Court and the boycott concluded over a year after it had started (“Rosa Parks Was Arrested”). The Montgomery Bus Boycott diverted national press attention towards segregation in Alabama (Korpe). Parks came to be known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” and was a symbol of pride and power in the face of discrimination (“Rosa Parks Was Arrested”). Parks was also honoured with awards around the world for her efforts and gained praises and support from her community (“Rosa Parks Was Arrested”). She famously declared, “I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity – for all people.” (Korpe)
Was Rosa Parks Justified?
I believe that Rosa Parks was justified because at that time, there was a lot of racism and segregation in America and she just stood up for what she believed in. She was tired of giving in and facing all the hate and discrimination that was directed towards the black community. At the time, the law heavily supported the whites and they were given much better opportunities than the blacks. Parks felt that everyone should be treated fairly and equally and that everyone is created the same way by God. In today’s world, we as people have the right to food, shelter, medical attention, freedom of speech, and basically everything that we need to have a satisfied, prosperous, and secure life. But at that time, the blacks weren’t given some of these rights and didn’t have a lot of freedom. When Parks was arrested, she wasn’t even allowed to speak for herself, but still she didn’t fight or resist against her arrest and just calmly let the police arrest her. She acted how everyone should under such terrible conditions. Parks fought an unfair law and didn’t use a violent way to put an end to it. She was brave enough to state her opinion and let everyone one know what she thinks and feels towards the unfair law and also teaches others to do so. She has set an example for all the people from the black community and her single act of disobedience started the civil rights movement and gave every black the courage to speak, support, and stand for what they believe in. In my opinion, she should also be respected for being so dignified and obedient under an unfair law.
Rosa Parks' Interview With Larry King On CNN
Works Cited
- CNN. “Larry King Live – 1995: Rosa Parks says she isn’t bitter.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
- HISTORY. n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
- History Learning Site. Mar 27, 2015. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
- Korpe, Prerana. “Rosa Parks and Civil Disobedience.” newseum.org. Dec 01, 2015.
Web. 10 Oct, 2016.
- “Rosa Parks Was Arrested for Civil Disobedience.” americaslibrary.com. n.d.
Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
- Sanders, Monica. “Understanding the Historical Impact of Rosa Parks.” legalzoom.com.
Dec, 2009. Web. 10 Oct, 2016.
- Wikipedia.org. Oct 09, 2016. Web. 10 Oct, 2016.
- “What If Rosa Parks Didn’t Move to the Back of the Bus.” thehenryford.org. n.d.
Web. 10 Oct. 2016.