Rosa Parks, born Rosa Louise McCauley in 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, was a prominent American civil rights activist whose quiet determination helped change the course of history. She grew up in Montgomery and attended local schools, later earning her high school diploma as a young adult. She married Raymond Parks, a barber and activist, and through him became involved in efforts supporting African American rights. During the 1940s and early 1950s, she worked various jobs while also serving as a secretary for a local civil rights organization, developing a reputation for dignity, courage, and commitment.
Her life changed in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated Montgomery bus, sparking the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott. The protest drew national attention and helped energize the growing civil rights movement later on led by such important leaders as Martin Luther King Jr. or Nelson Mandela. In the 1960s she moved to Detroit, where she continued community work and later served on the staff of Congressman John Conyers. Even after retiring, Rosa Parks remained an inspiring symbol of justice and equality until her passing in 2005 at age 92.
