Rosa Parks The Mother Of The Freedom Movement

By: Oshen Pearl

Rosa Parks was born February 4, 1913, she died October 24, 2005 at the age of 92. She was and is famous for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and not giving up her bus seat to a white passenger. Rosa Parks was an American civil rights activist. Rosa Parks was an incredibly brave person because she chose to not give up her bus seat to a white passenger and because of what she did, she got arrested. However, this was all planned with Martin Luther King Jr. Because of that, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was the sparking of the Civil Rights Movement and inspired many other people to stand up for their rights.

 Rosa Parks chose not to give up her bus seat to a white passenger because she felt like everyone should have equal rights and, though many think she was tired from a long day, the event was actually planned with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  For example, When Rosa Parks was arrested, Jo Ann Robinson, just realized it was all planned and they wrote a letter saying that the Montgomery Bus Boycott was planned. The article, Wesleyn, explains,  “When the meeting failed to produce any meaningful change, WPC president Jo Ann Robinson reiterated the council’s requests in a 21 May letter to Mayor Gayle, telling him, ‘there has been talk from twenty-five or more local organizations of planning a city-wide boycott of busses’(‘A Letter from the Women’s    Political Council’).” This explains the topic because, it explains how it was planned and also it gives a lot of background information. Rosa Parks was not the only one who fought for her rights, other people did it too. The article, BIO  proves, “A year after the WPC’s meeting with Mayor Gayle, a 15-year-old named Claudette Colvin was arrested for challenging segregation on a Montgomery bus. Seven months later, 18-year-old Mary Louise Smith was arrested for refusing to yield her seat to a white passenger. Neither arrest, however, mobilized Montgomery’s black community like that of Rosa Parks later that year.” This explains the topic because, Rosa Parks inspired many people to stand up and that was part of the reason why she did what she did. Martin Luther King Jr. explained the plan and the way it was gonna work. The article Archives,  explains, “King recalled in his memoir that ‘Mrs. Parks was ideal for the role assigned to her by history,’ and because ‘her character was impeccable and her dedication deep-rooted’ she was ‘one of the most respected people in the Negro community’ (King, 44). Robinson and the WPC responded to Parks’ arrest by calling for a one-day protest of the city’s buses on 5 December 1955.” This explains the topic because, it is saying their plan.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was started by Rosa Parks, was the sparking of the civil rights movement. When Rosa Parks got arrested, African Americans stood up and they stopped using the Montgomery city busses. The article, history, explains, “Sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks on 1 December 1955, the Montgomery bus boycott was a 13-month mass protest that ended with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public busses is unconstitutional.” From this, the African Americans thought that they can change the laws by standing against them, also by breaking the laws. The Montgomery Bus Boycott brought lots of attention to civil rights leaders and brought Martin Luther King Jr. into the spotlight. The article, ushistory, states, “The boycott also brought national and international attention to the civil rights struggles occurring in the U.S., as more than 100 reporters visited Montgomery during the boycott to profile the effort and its leaders.” Martin Luther King Jr. having the spotlight helped bring more people together to fight for civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. brought leadership to African Americans and he wanted White Americans to recognize what he was doing. The article, history, states, “In his role as the primary spokesman of the year-long Montgomery bus boycott, King utilized the leadership abilities he had gained from his religious background and academic training to forge a distinctive protest strategy that involved the mobilization of black churches and skillful appeals for white support.” Martin Luther King Jr. wanted the White Americans to join him and help him and he wanted to get them to recognize that he wants their support to help everyone be equal. Many people were inspired to stand up for themselves and stand up for what is right.

Rosa Parks inspired many other people to stand up for their rights. After Rosa parks got arrested, many people were inspired to stop the Bus Boycott and stand up for what is right. The article, ushistory, states, “Meanwhile, black participation in the boycott was much larger than even optimists in the community had anticipated. Nixon and some ministers decided to take advantage of the momentum, forming the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to manage the boycott, and they elected Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.–new to Montgomery and just 26 years old—as the MIA’s president.” People got inspired by Rosa Parks and they wanted to finish what Rosa Parks started. Rosa Parks was a big inspiration and people realized it when she stopped segregation. The article, BIO, explains,  “Over the next half-century, Parks became a nationally recognized symbol of dignity and strength in the struggle to end entrenched racial segregation.” Rosa Parks was recognized and she got many honors and she inspired many people. When Rosa Parks did not surrender her bus seat, that helped Nationwide “Efforts to end segregation.” The Article, BIO,  states, “Her refusal to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a public bus Montgomery, Alabama, spurred on a citywide boycott and helped launch nationwide efforts to end segregation of public facilities.” When she did not move, she inspired nationwide to fight to end segregation, and they did.

Rosa Parks is a very important person. She ended segregation and made us all equal. She is very famous. She has a huge impact in all of our lives.