Rosa Parks

Referred to as the ‘mother of the civil rights movement,’ Rosa Parks is most prominent for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks was arrested and thrown in jail for her noncompliance to the law. In an interview years after the event, Parks said, “When I declined to give up my seat, it was not that day or bus in particular. I just wanted to be free like everybody else.” Parks was a blue-collar worker and a loving wife to a charter member of the Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In addition, Parks was a loyal volunteer for the NAACP, helping the administration branch of the organization by stamping envelopes, answering phones, and typing letters.