Rosa Parks, a Woman Icon in History

On December 1^st 1955, weary from a long days work, the women who would later be known as a history maker climbed on the bus in Montgomery Alabama. She seated herself near the front of the bus, as that was the only seat available. Of course most of us know how the story unfolds. She was asked to get up out of her seat to give it up for a white gentlemen. It was law that African Americans were to enter and sit at the back of the bus and to give up seats for whites.

Rosa made history that day when she said no. She refused to give up her seat and as a result was arrested and charged under the Montgomery ordnance with disorderly conduct. She made clear in her recent book "Quiet Strength" why she did what she did: "Our mistreatment was just not right, and I was tired of it" (Quiet Strength, 1994).

Of course this hadn't been the first conflict that Mrs. Parks had had with a bus driver as she explained once, "I didn't want to pay my fare and then go around the back door, because many times, even if you did that, you might not get on the bust at all. They'd often shut the door, drive off, and leave you standing there."

Rosa Parks attended Alabama State Teacher's college and settled in Montgomery with her husband Raymond Parks. She often had registered to vote with no success.

The bust incident led to the "Montgomery Improvement Society" which, was led by the young pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The association boycotted the city's bus company. This boycott lasted 382 days and brought Rosa parks and Martin Luther King Jr's cause worldwide. Not to long after, in November 1956, the Supreme Court took down the Montgomery ordnance under which, Rosa Parks had been charged. They then outlawed racial segregation on public transportation.

In 1957 Rosa Parks and husband moved to Detroit where Mrs. Parks served on the staff of U.S Representative John Conyers.

Rosa Park's death in 2005 at age 92 broke history yet again. As her casket was placed in the rotunda of the United States Capitol for two days so that the nation could pay their last respects to the women whose life had been dedicated to freedom and equal treatment for all.

She was the first woman in American history to lie at the state capital that was an honor usually reserved for Presidents of the United States.

Right up until her death Rosa Parks was a women of courage and freedom. She stood up when no one else would and took a stand to change history. She was an advocate for women as much as for African Americans. She was a woman with a mission to change history and did so, proving that it doesn't matter if you're man or women black or white we all can make a difference. She stood for freedom and justice for all.

She was an icon in our history that will never be forgotten.