Rosa Parks is known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”You might be wondering why she is called the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement?
Before I answer your question, There is some information that we need to know about her life.
Rosa Parks also called Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama. At the age of 11, she moved to Montgomery, Alabama, and attended a laboratory school at the Alabama State Teachers’ College for black people.
Back then, there was a law called the Jim Crow laws, also known as the segregation laws. This law made sure that blacks could only attend a specific school, could only drink from specified water fountains, borrow books only from the “black” library, amid other restrictions.
Rosa Parks was on her way home from a busy and tiring day of work and decided to take the bus. Shortly afterward, a white man boarded the bus and had no place to sit, so the bus driver demanded that she give up her seat it was the law. However, she protested because she believed that she shouldn’t have to give up her position.
In conclusion, Rosa Parks played a significant role in the civil rights movement and is the main reason both African Americans and whites have equal rights today. Up until 1965, Rosa Parks had to live with segregation. She wanted freedom and the right to go to any place, without people judging her by the color of her skin. Moreover, she had to fight for everything, even the struggles and obstacles she faced throughout the civil rights movement.
Now to answer your question;
The reason why Rosa Parks is called the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” because she is the first woman of color to fight for racial equality when she refused to give up her seat to a white man.
References
- History.com – Rosa Parks
- Biography.com – Rosa Parks
- NAACP.org – Rosa Parks Day
- Britannica.com – Rosa Parks
- BlackPast.org – Rosa Parks
- CNN – New statue of Rosa Park in Alabama
- Seattle Times – Remembering Rosa (opinion piece) this gives an account from a particular individual who had a personal relationship to her.
Also some books have been written by or about her: “Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation” edited by Gregory J Newton (1995)
“Rosa Parks: My Story” by Rosa Parks and Jim Haskins (1992)
“I am Rosa Parks” by Rosa Parks, Jim Haskins and Wil Clay (1996)