The Woman that reversed History: Mrs. Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1913. Although her family did not have a very big influence on her belief, Mrs.Parks believed in her own rights, and didn't like the fact that everyone like her was being segregated. Everyone knows Mrs. Parks as the woman on the bus that didn't give up her seat to a white man because she didn't believe in that. Which is known as the Montgomery Bus BoycottShe basically refused to get up! Who would ever think not giving up a seat on a bus would change so much in history? Well Rosa Parks never expected the things that were coming her way after this incident. She was immediately taken to the police station and had gotten arrested for convicting of violating the laws of segregation, known as “Jim Crow Laws.” Her act started the bus boycott two days later. The boycott lasted for 13 months, and were lead by young baptist Martin Luther King Jr. Because of her brave actions Rosa had gotten fired from her job, and had to move with her husband at her side. Rosa Parks moved to Detroit after this incident and continued her life right where she left off. She was recognized and achcieved a lot of successes after this incident. Rosa Parks was named the "Mother of the Freedom Movement" and the "First Lady of the Civil Rights" by the U.S. congress. She also received national recognition which included the NAACP's 1979 Spingarn Medal, the Presidental Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and a posthumous statue in the United State's Capitol's National Satuary Hall. Upon her death in 2005, she was the first woman and second non-U.S. government official to lie in honor at the Capitol Rotunda. Rosa Parks was also on the list of "The 20 Most Influential People of the 20th Century". She died in her apartment in Detroit, Michigan at the age of 92 on October 24th, 2005. An estimated 50,000 people viewed her casket.  The day of Rosa's funeral procession, President George W. Bush ordered all flags in the Nation's Capitol and all United States public areas. This is a great honor for Rosa Parks, because she truly was a legacy and reversed history. If it wasn't for that one day that Rosa Parks decided not to give up her seat, who knows where we'd be in history today?

Famous Quotes:

"Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome."

"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."
"I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free."

"Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others."