Rosa Parks

We take a look at prominent civil rights leaders—female and male alike—who made it their priority to fight for the freedom of Black Americans.

“Remembering and honoring #RosaParks on her 109th birthday. #BlackHistoryMonth #WomenSoulOfTheMovement”

"Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others" -Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks (1913—2005) helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. Her actions inspired the leaders of the local Black community to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Read 9 reviews from the world’s largest community for readers. A short biography of the famous civil rights figure and her work.

Purchase an art print of the photograph "Rosa Parks sitting on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama" by American School. Choose from multiple sizes and hundreds of frame and mat options. All prints are professionally printed, packaged, and shipped within 3 - 4 business days.

The papers of Rosa Parks (1913-2005) span the years 1866-2006, with the bulk of the material dating from 1955 to 2000. The collection, which contains approximately 7,500 items in the Manuscript Division, as well as 2,500 photographs in the Prints and Photographs Division, documents many aspects of Parks's private life and public activism on behalf of civil rights for African Americans. The collection is a gift made to the Library in 2016 through the generosity of the Howard G. Buffett…

In honor of what would be Rosa Parks' 104th birthday, here are some lesser known facts about her life before the Montgomery Bus Boycott.