Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks is a true hero to people all over the U.S. She inspired people to work hard and achieve their goals and never be afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Rosa Parks constantly showed bravery, strength and independence throughout her entire lifetime. Some ways that Rosa Parks showed bravery was the way she stood up against an officer in 1955 on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks sat in the back of the bus when the bus driver demanded that she give her seat up to a middle aged Caucasian man. She refused and stood up for her rights and later got arrested for her actions. "She was eventually convicted of violating segregation laws, but did not accept the situation. With the guidance of civil rights lawyers, she helped challenge the laws that allowed such segregation." ("Rosa Parks." Newsmakers).

Rosa Parks is mainly known for her act of bravery, strength and independence because of her decision one day on a bus where she stood up for her rights, This does not only make her a hero just for that day but also the many other amazing things that she did that changed so many things around the world that made her earn so many awards and be the first woman to create a civil rights movement. "As Parks became regarded as an important, inspirational, figure in the Civil Rights Movement, she used her position to raise funds for the NAACP and continue to push for greater racial equality. In 1987 Parks co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. The group sponsored several programs to educate about the Civil Rights Movement." ("Rosa Parks." Newsmakers.").

Rosa Parks showed the trait of bravery through many acts that she has performed throughout her lifetime. "Parks became known as the mother of the civil rights movement. She won many awards, including, in 1999, the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian honor. In December 2000, the 50,000-square-foot Rosa Parks Library and Museum, featuring a life-size bronze sculpture of Parks, opened in Montgomery" ("Rosa Parks." Newsmakers."). This moment in time went viral and changed many people's lives forever for her bravery.

Another trait that Rosa Parks demonstrated was her independence. She showed this through standing up with what she believed in with very little to no help of friends or family that supported her because of the consequences that they could face. Racism and segregation was a hard thing to go through because things that happened affected and offended so any African Americans and people of color. It took so much strength to do everything that Rosa Parks did and not show one sign that she would give up. "Although she had become a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks suffered hardship in the months following her arrest in Montgomery and the subsequent boycott. She lost her department store job and her husband was fired after his boss forbade him to talk about his wife or their legal case."( Strong, Jennifer L. "Parks, Rosa Lee McCauley.") Parks continuously managed to stay strong even when so many people hurt her and were trying to let her down. While Parks arrest and the subsequent case were of importance nationally and historically, the incident had a negative affect on her life. Rosa got threatened, hassled and so many people who supported the bus boycott and the Civil Rights Movement were also experiencing this as well. Her health was negatively affected.

Rosa Parks is a true hero to people all over the U.S. She inspired people to work hard and achieve their goals and never be afraid to stand up for what they believe in. Parks was a good person who remained to always have hope through the hardest of times. Rosa Parks once stated "I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day, but I don't think there is anything such as complete happiness. It pains me that there is still a lot of Klan activity and racism. I think when you say you're happy, you have everything that you need and everything that you want, and nothing more to wish for. I haven't reached that stage yet." ("Rosa Parks Biography.") Rosa Parks always managed to find the good in the bad of everything and even though she will mostly always be remembered for the one time on the bus, she has made many more memories during her lifetime and she will always remain a hero. "Parks was regarded as a hero and spent the whole of her life as a face of the movement." ("Rosa Parks." Newsmakers).