All Matters African

Rosa Parks

Do you know who Rosa Parks was? There is hardly likely any individual, American or not who has never heard of Rosa Parks and if you have not then you should!

One of the most outstanding figures in African American history is Rosa Parks. She was not a politician or an affluent force in society but she influenced an entire generation by making a stand for what she believed in. Many people know the story behind Rosa Parks’ brave stand but many don’t know the details in this crucial period even in African American history.

In 1955 it was common for a black person to give up his or her seat to a white individual on buses. On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks entered a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This decision led to a chain of events that would profoundly affect African American history in the United States.

During this time in African American history, a black patron paid for his or her seat in the front of the bus.

They had to get back off of the bus and re-enter in the rear entrance of the vehicle to take their seats. This is exactly what Rosa Parks did. She sat in the rear of the bus as was common in those days.

Rosa sat next to a black man and across from two black women on the Montgomery, Alabama bus. Soon the front of the bus became full with passengers. A white man boarded the bus and the driver told Rosa, the man next to her as well as the other two women to give up their seats for the white patron.

Here is where one simple decision change African American history in the middle of the 1950’s. The other patrons moved but Rosa stayed put. When the bus driver asked her to move again, she refused. The bus driver called the police about the incident. As a result, Rosa was arrested.

During this time in African American history, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a 26 year old man who served quietly as a minister. He was scheduled to speak at a large meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church on this very day. December 1st, 1955 proved to be a great turning point in African American history. His speech encouraged peaceful boycotts of the bus companies.

Ironically, the boycott was not in demand of ending segregation on public buses. Instead the nonviolent protesters simply wanted to be treated with dignity and respect. They demanded polite treatment from the drivers as well as first-come, first-served seating. They also wanted black drivers hired for routes that commonly transported black patrons.

The combination of Rosa Park’s brave stance as well as Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent boycott of the pubic transportation system led to the end of segregation on city buses by December 1956. African American history was taking a turn for the better.

And that my friend proves to us all that our right actions in whatever we do and whatever race we belong to can and will have an effect that can change the world to a better place, maybe not immediately but eventually.

Resources

African American History - This site provides access to the raw data and documentation which contains information on the following slave trade topics from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: records of slave ship movement between Africa and the Americas, slave ships of eighteenth century France, slave trade to Rio de Janeiro, Virginia slave trade in the eighteenth century, English slave trade (House of Lords Survey), Angola slave trade in the eighteenth century, internal slave trade to Rio de Janeiro, slave trade to Havana, Cuba, Nantes slave trade in the eighteenth century, and slave trade to Jamaica."

African American People - Explore the accomplishments of black actors, singers, athletes, scientists, inventors, politicians, writers, artists, astronauts, pilots, social reformers, religious leaders, and intellectuals.