Rosa Louise McCauley Parks

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks is a very good role model to African American and American culture. Rosa didn’t know that her actions on the evening in early December 1955 would change the law forever. Her partner through all of this was the famous and always remembered, Martin Luther King Jr. Together they started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which is one of the largest movements against racial segregation. She has had a lasting legacy worldwide. She wrote a book on her experiences called Rosa Parks: My Story in 1992. It was aimed at younger readers which tells her experiences in life leading up to her decision not to give up her seat. She is a main role model for me because we have the same birthday, February 4th.

On this wonderful day in early December, Rosa Parks had had enough of giving in to the white people. The white people were sitting in the white section. Furthermore, Rosa was sitting at the front of the black section when the white section filled up and she was asked to give up her seat to a white man. She refused and stayed in her seat. "I’m going to have to arrest you," scowled James Blake, the white driver. She replied, "You may do that."

Rosa Parks was born February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee. She was named after her maternal grandmother Rose. She was small and she suffered poor health, however she was okay. As she grew up in Pine Level, she went through many things that helped her with courage and inner strength. It was a great thing that she learned the value of things, because it lead her to never give up. During the whole civil rights movement Rosa Parks never gave up.

Surprisingly, on August 30, 1994, an African-American drug addict, Joseph Skipper, attacked Parks in her home when she was 81 years old. The incident outraged America. Skipper asked, "Hey, aren't you Rosa Parks?" she replied, "Yes," and handed him $3 when he demanded money, and an additional $50 when he demanded more. Skipper then struck Mrs. Parks in the face. Skipper was arrested and charged with various breaking and entering offenses against Rosa and other near-by victims. He admitted being guilty on August 8, 1995, and was sentenced to eight to fifteen years in prison.

After all Rosa Parks has been through, she has helped this country be turned around and headed into the right direction. I don’t think I would be very happy if I lived in a nation where black people, like me, were segregated and treated differently. I think this generation should learn that we need to be grateful for the freedom that we have. Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. were a great team and never gave up. The awesome result was that they changed the law for years to come.