Rosa Parks : A Symbol Of The Nonviolent Protest Advocated By The Civil Rights Movement

“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” This was said by Rosa Parks. She was an enormous inspiration to the African American Race. She was one among many who lived in a rough time for African Americans. She lived in a time when equality wasn’t really equal. When African Americans were scared/ weren’t allowed to state their opinions on different matters. However, Rosa Parks was an individual who stood up for herself. Rosa Parks helped the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans gain equality mainly through her courage and refusal to move.

Throughout the African American civil rights movement opportunities were sought to spark a chance at improving conditions in the south. Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the Montgomery, Alabama bus was the fire to that spark. Rosa, standing up for herself something anyone person in today’s world would do, was arrested and put in jail. While Rosa was in jail she caught the eye of many people in the Civil Rights Movement, including the leaders. The Civil Rights leaders protested her arrest and hired lawyers to aid her in her trial. Although she was found guilty and was fined fourteen dollars for the cost of the court case, which lasted on thirty minutes, she wasn’t done yet. Rosa Parks has affected the society we live in today in

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, one of the leaders of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [NAACP] refused to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, despite being reprimanded by the driver (Schulke 166). Montgomery, Alabama was known for its terrible treatment of blacks. The buses in particular had been a source of tension between the city and black citizens for many years (Schulke, 167). As a result of refusing to give up her seat, Rosa Parks was arrested. Rosa Parks' popularity among the black community, proved to be the spark that ignited the non-violent Civil Rights Movement (Norrell 2).

Racism can be defined by the formula prejudice + power = racism. Racism is when racial prejudice is turned into action that harms others. Racism is the belief that one race of people is superior to another because of their colour or race. Racism is simply based on the colour of a person's skin. Racism is destructive and it disembowels people by shattering their identity.

On Thursday evening December 1, 1955, Rosa boards a Montgomery City Bus to go home after a long day working as a seamstress. She walks back to the section for blacks, and takes a seat. The law stated that they could sit there if no White people were standing. Rosa parks never liked segregation rules and has been fighting against them for more than ten years in the NAACP, but until then had never broke any of the unjust rules. As the bus stops at more places, more white people enter the bus, all the seats in the “White Only” section was filled and the bus driver orders Rosa’s row to move to the back of the bus, they all moved, accept Rosa. She was arrested and fined for violating a city regulation. This act of defiance began a movement that ended legal Segregation in America, and made her an inspiration to freedom devoted people everywhere.

What is racism? The word racism is defined as “the belief that a particular race is inferior to another race or races.” The Anti-Defamation League defined the word racism as “the hatred of one person by another, or belief that another person is less, because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nation and legal codes”

Rosa Parks once said, “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” Rosa Parks was an African- American women in Montgomery, Alabama, who believed in civil rights for African-Americans. It was a time of segregation, the separation of blacks and whites. For instance, blacks were required to sit in the back of the bus, and white people sat in the front of the bus.

Rosa Parks' refusal to relinquish her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus was a slap in the face to hard line Jim Crow Southerners who thought that blacks are inferior to whites; it also happened to be illegal, and Parks was swiftly and promptly arrested for breaking a Jim Crow law. Little did the police arresting her know that this arrest would lead to the downfall of the very law they felt they needed, and wanted, to enforce. Along with MLK's protests and marches, a Federal Court determined segregation on buses to be unconstitutional. That would not have happened had it not been for Parks' refusal to obey a law that was both ludicrous and morally wrong. Every human on this earth, regardless of skin color or ethnicity, is exactly that: human, and therefore they deserve

One cold December day a woman got onto a bus after a long shift at work, exhausted from the day she plopped down in a seat near the front. The next stop many white people boarded and the bus started to get full so they moved back until they reached the woman's seat. This was a problem because this woman, Rosa Parks, was black and had to move or she would end up in jail. Even with that knowledge, she refused to give that seat up. Many blacks faced this problem every day during the Civil Rights Movement, but weren't brave enough to stand up for their rights like Rosa was. After Rosa said "no" many realized they could stand up for their rights as well. Parks helped with people's involvement during these tough times and was involved herself. Due

Rosa Parks was an important person towards the evolution of a civil rights movement. This occurred on December 1st, 1955, when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. Even though in today’s society, this can be a show of a childish gesture. But, during the time of a civil movement; this had a significant impact on people of both races. African Americans now had a chance to speak up and follow the footsteps of Rosa Parks. This includes people such as the memorable Martin Luther King. However, the actions Rosa Parks committed had consequences. This would continue until the newer generations to come. In, “Rosa Parks Redux: Racial Mobility Projects on the Journey to Work”, it states the following statement. “Her refusal crystallized the insidious nature of segregation in the South and laid bare its brutal banality. Sixty years later, cities in the putatively post racial era continue to generate profound racial inequalities, and commuting continues to embody, reveal, and sometimes contest the twenty-first-century city as a generator of racial inequality.” Even after so much time, people still want change because equality is not wupon every

‘’Each person must live their life as a model for others.’’ (Rosa Parks) Rosa Parks was tired of the way African Americans were poorly treated. She took a stand by not obeying a demand to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus. Because of her bold action she became a model to millions. Parks was an African American woman who became known for her bravery, which helped to change the nation. ‘’Parks spent most of her life fighting for desegregation, voting rights, and was active in the civil Right Movement that has changed social code in the U.S.’’(Rosa Parksfact.com). Rosa Parks is a pioneer for her brave act; her belief in equality, justice, and advancement for African American has impacted the world.

Rosa Parks is known for her pride, stubbornness, and her refusal to give up her seat to a white male. In the early 1900’s, African Americans were treated different than other races. Like trash. They had to serve the “white man” and live their lives completing actions in the Caucasians liking, and dealing with extreme racism. At the time of this incident, many African Americans were searching for the same freedom, respect, and fairness that the whites received. Rosa Parks gave many blacks the sense of pride they were looking for. On December 1st, 1955 the section of seats for the whites’ on the bus were filled. Rosa Parks sat in the row behind the white section with 3 other African American individuals. Many have the misconception that she was

“The only tired I was, was tired of giving in” (Parks). I was tired, tired of being oppressed, and tired of being stepped on by the law, and my fellow people. That was the only tired i felt. The Montgomery Bus protest sparked a fire that would be felt throughout the entire country, and it was the spark that ignited the fire of the civil rights movement that shook the world. The boycott was the first of it, once light was shown on the problem, she began travelling cross country spreading information about civil rights, and sparking more peaceful protest. Rosa Parks was an important figure that changed the direction of the United States of America. She was trying to get home from work that day, but she turned into an icon for the civil rights movement, and shined a light on the unfair treatment of african americans.

Let’s start with the definition of racism. Racism refers to the belief that race is the primary determinant of human capacities, that a certain race is inherently superior or inferior to others, and/or that individuals should be treated differently based on their ascribed race.

The civil rights movement began in the 1950’s when African-Americans basic rights were long denied to them (PBS.org, 2015). This inspired the African American culture and other discriminated groups to fight for their own rights. One of the first acts was when a woman name Rosa Parks did not want to give up her seat to a Caucasian man. She was wrongfully put in jail because of the incident. She was not the first person to do this, but because she was close friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which was one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, she received a lot of publicity and media play. This incident shows that she was a victim of discrimination. She was belittled by people because she would not give up her seat which, in that time was the law. The laws in the past did not protect the minority but the majority which was the Caucasians. Later in the civil rights movement, people marched protested and did everything possible to get some result from the discrimination in America at that time. People were also killed, arrested, slandered, and abused because all they wanted was their rights not to be discriminated against. After all of fighting for civil rights, the laws finally changed and things were getting better. Although things were getting better, in the present time things has turned around for the