Remembering Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Icon
Rosa Parks
An article in the American Legacy Magazine several years ago revealed some little- known facts about Rosa Parks. A part of her life that many people are not aware of is told in the book by the Late Congressman John Lewis In his book entitled: “Across the Bridge, Life Lessons and A Vision for Change.” John Lewis discussed the fact that Rosa Parks attended the Highlander Folk School located in Tennessee to participate in workshops on how to engage in civil disobedience. At one time Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also attended the Highlander Folk school. The school held sessions on what to do when confronted with angry crowds and violence while working for civil rights. The school also included classes on citizenship and literacy skills. Rosa Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913 to Leona and James McCauley. Her mother was a teacher. Her father was a carpenter. Her great-grandparents were of Irish, Native American, and African descent. She went on in life to marry Raymond Parks.
Rosa Parks came from a background of being active in civil rights. She was influenced by her grandfather who planted the seeds of resistance in her. She worked with the NAACP youth groups at a young age. As an adult she had a friendship with Malcolm X. She was an aide to Congressman John Conyers and help him to get elected in 1964. When she was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus, there was a tremendous organization of Blacks in Montgomery from the young and old alike. News of her arrest spread like wildfire and people were willing to take a stand. Flyers were distributed by teenagers. Meetings were held in the churches. The pastors were totally organized around the one issue of a bus boycott.
What most people do not know is that the story of Rosa not giving up her seat because she was tired was not true. Many books say that she had been working all day and she was too tired to move. The truth is that this was a planned and well thought out action by the NAACP. Rosa Parks had also had an encounter with the same white bus driver 12 years earlier in 1943. The name of the bus driver was James Blake. He ordered her to move to the back of the bus at that time. Twelve years later in 1955, he was the same driver who called the police to have her arrested. This time it started the famous Montgomery bus boycott with thousands of Blacks doing everything possible to avoid riding the buses and it broke the bus company.
Rosa Parks wrote a book entitled “My Story” and she described what happened. She also wrote a book called “Quiet Strength.” The bus driver, James Blake, remained angry at Rosa Parks for years way into his 80’s. He never forgave her for her action on the bus. He was so bitter toward her until he cursed at reporters every time that tried to interview him about what happened. The words he used are too awful to print in this article. Rosa’s husband supported her, but he was fearful that she would be murdered. He suffered two nervous breakdowns during the bus boycott.
Rosa Parks co-founded an institute for self-development. The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute was designed for youth ages 11-17 to teach basic skills of how to conduct themselves in positive ways to help their community. Rosa Parks has been honored in numerous ways for her contributions to the civil rights movement. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 2005 she was the first woman to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. There is a statue of her in the U.S. Capitol. She suffered from dementia in her old age. Rosa Parks died on October 24, 2005 at the age of 92 in Detroit, Michigan. She will forever be remembered as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”