Rosa+Parks

Kimberly Sanchez “I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.’’ –Rosa Parks I think that in this quote Rosa parks tells us how she was tired of all the racism that was going on. She was determined to stand up for her and other African American rights. Rosa Parks was no longer afraid of facing the consequences of standing up for her rights. She didn’t want other people to be treated like if they were less then than anybody else and all she wanted was for people to be treated the same and have respect like the others. On February 4 Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born. She was born and raised in Alabama .She was known for her act of civil disobedience in December of 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to a white man. Rosa Parks childhood brought her early experiences with racial discriminations and activism for racial equality. After her parents separated, Rosa’s mother moved the family to pine level, Alabama to live with her parents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards who were both former slaves and strong advocates for racial equality. (Golphin) Rosa’s mother taught her to read at a young age. She went on to attend a segregated, one room school in Pine Level, Alabama, that often lacked school supplies such as decks. African-American students were forced to walk to the 1st-through 6th grade schoolhouse, while all the city of Pine level (white students) were provided with bus transportation as well as a new school building. Through her education Rosa attended segregated schools in Montgomery. Rosa had to leave school to be able to attend both her sick grandmother and her mother who were back in Pine level. Unfortunately she never returned to her studies, instead she got a job at a shirt factory in Montgomery. During the year of 1932, which she was already 19 years old Rosa met and married Raymond Parks. He was a barber and an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. With her husband’s support Rosa earned her high school degree in 1933. On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama Harper. She didn’t care about facing the consequences because she was tired of all the unfair treatment towards the African Americans. When she got arrested she was only forty-two years old. Rosa Parks received many awards during her lifetime including the Spingarn Medal, the NAACP’s highest award and the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. award. On October 24,2005, at age of 92, Rosa Parks died in her apartment in Detroit, Michigan. She had been diagnosed the previous year with progressive dementia.(Rosenberg) Rosa Parks’ was a strong independent, full of pride kind of woman, she didn’t feel like she needed to be treated differently because of her race (Rosenberg). She didn’t think that she had to be treated differently from others just because she was African American. Rosa Parks’ was also a determined and brave women for standing up for her rights (Sunburst). She was brave because in her time there were segregation laws and she refused to give her seat to the white man. She was a confident speaker because she liked to speak about her vision of equality (Golphin) .Parks was not just an ordinary person, she was a highly spiritual women of character and commitment (Harper). Hero is also another personality trait for her because all she wanted was liberty and freedom for all race. Rosa parks was an inspiration to many people ‘’Parks did a small and simple act that would change the world forever’’(Lindsey).
 * Introduction**
 * Personal Background**
 * Personality Traits**
 * Obstacles**


 * Historical Significance**

Each on us reaches a point in our lives when we have to make a choice and decide to move on or not, by the second we make up our final decision that’s when we start our journey. “On December 1,1955, Rosa Parks made this kind of choice. It not only changed her life, it changed the course of a nation.” “When Rosa Parks made the choice not to leave her seat on a segregated bus, this was not a choice of a young idealist. Nor was it one of a women unfamiliar with the fight for civil liberties (Sanders).’’ Parks was in her forties, already a wife and a mother. Both Parks and her husband were involved with the NAACP and the Voters League. Parks became known as the mother of the civil rights movement because she had refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. Many people don’t really know that she wasn’t the first person to do that. Nine months before Parks’ arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat, a 15 year old girl was arrested in Montgomery for the same act (Monica) “Rosa Parks had the courage and bravery to take action. She has been presented with numerous awards for her contribution in building positive change in a time of social inequality. Rosa had capability for doing this effectively, but quietly and was known for her saying “ Do what is right”. As she got older she still worked hard to make sure that she would see the day when African Americans got the rights they deserved. Parks knew the best way to keep the fight going was to inspire the younger generation and also have them join in. In February 1987 she founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. Rosa had worked really hard in the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and her institute has inspired many people around the world. Her role in the civil right movement has been really significant as she had influenced many other African Americans to stand up for what is right (Ashby).” Still today Rosa Parks has been the top ten most famous Americas in history for her braveness (Rosenburg). “This nation was forever transformed by her refusal to give up her seat (Painter).”

[|Ghare, Madhavi.] "Rosa Parks biography" Buzzle.com. 27Mar. 2012.web. 28Mar. 2012

[|Gray, Fred D]. //Bus Ride to Justice: Changing the System by the System, The Life and Works of Fred D. Gray.// Montgomery, Ala.: Black Belt Press, 1995. Parks, Rosa. //Rosa// Parks: My Story. New York: Putnam, 1992f

[|Harper, Fedrick] "Editors comment Rosa Parks and our challenge for the future" Journal of Negro education 4(2005)294. elibrary. Web. 18 Sep. 2014. [|Golphin,Fa,Vincent]."Faith,hope,and a heart that changed a nation."about....time magazine.31 Mar.1995: PG.eLibrary.Web.18Sep.2014 [|Rosaberg. Jennifer] "Rosa Parks Refuses to Give up Her Bus Seat" 20th century history expert. NewYork. Web. 17Oct. 2014.