Rosa Parks America's Leading Civil Rights Activist

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks, was born a granddaughter to former slaves, on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in December of 1955, spurred a city-wide boycott and unleashed nationwide efforts to end segregation of public facilities. Her brave and unwavering determination proved monumental. Rosa was prepared to sacrifice everything, making her the role model of Racial Injustice and The First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement. Parks' act of defiance and the Montgomery Bus Boycott became the catalyst that helped launch important symbols of the modern Civil Rights Movement. It inspired all freedom loving people to join together against oppressive laws and governments, racial discrimination and hatred. She became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. Her determination and perseverance became a focal point with civil rights leaders, including Edgar Nixon, president of the local chapter of the NAACP; and Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights Act - legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Rosa Parks received many accolades during her lifetime, including the NAACP's highest award the Spingarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom the Congressional Gold Medal. Rosa died in 1977 and was chosen as the first woman ever to lie in honor at the Capitol Rotunda.