Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was a Civil Rights activist, known for igniting the Montgomery bus boycott when she would not give up her seat on a City bus. Due to her activism, she has been dubbed "the first lady of Civil Rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement". Her attributes towards Civil Rights includes being a member of the NAACP and participating in high-profile Civil Rights campaigns. As a member, she helped raise money for campaigns. She also was secretary of the Montgomery NAACP. Rosa Parks co-organized The Committee for Equal Justice when she began investigating the gang-rape of a black woman from Abbeville, Alabama. Through this effort, she became an advocate for rape victims. She was also a member of the League of Women Voters. She participated in the Selma to Montgomery Marches. Rosa Parks also supported the Freedom Now Party and the Lowndes County Freedom Organization. Mrs. Parks also worked with other black led organizations in the effort to raise awareness of police abuse of black people. During the 1970s, she helped found the Detroit chapter of the Joanne Little Defense Committee. Her activism for justice and Civil Rights continued on through the 1980s and 1990s.
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Church Affiliation:Mount Zion AME Church; St. Paul AME Church; St. Matthew AME Church
Role in the Movement:Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was a Civil Rights activist, known for igniting the Montgomery bus boycott when she would not give up her seat on a City bus.
Birth Place:Tuskegee, AL
Born Date:February 4, 1913
Deceased Date:October 24, 2005
Place Lived as Adult:Montgomery, AL; Detroit, MI
Church Location:Pine Level, AL; Montgomery, AL; Detroit, MI