Where did Rosa
Parks grow up?
Rosa grew up in
the southern United States in Alabama. Her full name was Rosa Louise
McCauley and she was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913 to Leona and
James McCauley. Her mother was a teacher and her father a carpenter. She had a
younger brother named Sylvester.
Her parents
separated while she was still young and she, with her mother and brother, went
to live on her grandparent's farm in the nearby town of Pine Level. Rosa went
to the local school for African-American children where her mother was a
teacher.
Going to School
Rosa's mother
wanted her to get a high school education, but this wasn't easy for an
African-American girl living in Alabama in the 1920s. After finishing up
elementary school at Pine Level she attended the Montgomery Industrial School
for Girls. Then she attended the Alabama State Teacher's College in order to
try and get her high school diploma. Unfortunately, Rosa's education was cut
short when her mother became very ill. Rosa left school to care for her mother.
A few years
later Rosa met Raymond Parks. Raymond was a successful barber who worked in
Montgomery. They married a year later in 1932. Rosa worked part time jobs and
went back to school, finally earning her high school diploma. Something she was
very proud of.
Segregation
During this
time, the city of Montgomery was segregated. This meant that things were
different for white people and black people. They had different schools,
different churches, different stores, different elevators, and even different
drinking fountains. Places often had signs saying "For Colored Only"
or "For Whites Only". When Rosa would ride the bus to work, she would
have to sit in the back in the seats marked "for colored". Sometimes
she would have to stand even if there were seats open up front.
Fighting for
Equal Rights
Growing up Rosa
had lived with racism in the south. She was scared of the members of the KKK
who had burned down black school houses and churches. She also saw a black man
get beaten by a white bus driver for getting in his way. The bus driver only
had to pay a $24 fine. Rosa and her husband Raymond wanted to do something
about it. They joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP).
Rosa saw the
opportunity to do something when the Freedom Train arrived in Montgomery. The
train was supposed to not be segregated according to the Supreme Court. So Rosa
led a group of African-American students to the train. They attended the
exposition on the train at the same time and in the same line as the white
students. Some people in Montgomery didn't like this, but Rosa wanted to show
them that all people should be treated the same.
Sitting on the
bus
It was on
December 1, 1955 that Rosa made her famous stand (while sitting) on the bus.
Rosa had settled in her seat on the bus after a hard day's work. All the seats
on the bus had filled up when a white man boarded. The bus driver told Rosa and
some other African-Americans to stand up. Rosa refused. The bus driver said he
would call the police. Rosa didn't move. Soon the police showed up and Rosa was
arrested.
Montgomery Bus
Boycott
Rosa was
charged with breaking a segregation law and was told to pay a fine of $10. She
refused to pay, however, saying that she was not guilty and that the law was
illegal. She appealed to a higher court.
That night a
number of African-American leaders got together and decided to boycott the city
buses. This meant that Africans would no longer ride the buses. One of these
leaders was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He became the president of the
Montgomery Improvement Association which helped to lead the boycott.
It wasn't easy
for people to boycott the buses as many African-Americans didn't have cars.
They had to walk to work or get a ride in a carpool. Many people couldn't go into
town to buy things. However, they stuck together in order to make a statement.
The boycott
continued for 381 days, and finally, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the
segregation laws in Alabama were unconstitutional.
After the
Boycott
Just because the
laws were changed, things didn't get any easier for Rosa. She received many
threats and feared for her life. Many of the civil rights leader's houses were
bombed, including the home of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1957 Rosa and Raymond
moved to Detroit, Michigan.
Rosa continued
to attend civil rights meetings. She became a symbol to many African-Americans
of the fight for equal rights. She is still a symbol of freedom and equality to
many today.
