Rosa Parks Bus

Inside this bus on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a soft-spoken African-American seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a white man, breaking existing segregation laws. The flawless character and quiet strength she exhibited successfully ignited action in others. For this, many believe Rosa Parks's act was the event that sparked the Civil Rights movement.

Inside this bus on December 1, 1955, a soft-spoken African-American seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man, as dictated by existing segregation laws. She was neither the first African American, nor the first woman to challenge the segregation laws within a public transportation system. But her flawless character, her quiet strength, and her moral fortitude caused her act to successfully ignite action in others. She knew that, by making this a test case, she would likely face public humiliation, arrest, and possible threats to her family and home. She was indeed arrested because she had broken the law, but the African-American community knew that, this time, city officials had "messed with the wrong one."

This simple, courageous act of protest by Rosa Parks started a fire in the hearts of African Americans everywhere. It led to an immediate city-wide bus boycott and, for this reason, the act by Rosa Parks is considered by many to be the event that sparked the Civil Rights movement. The arrest of Rosa Parks and the resulting bus boycott also led to the meteoric rise of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., as the widely recognized leader of this movement. Over time, Rosa Parks came to be known internationally as a symbol for human rights.