ROSA PARKS 1913 CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST PARKS ROSA 1913 CIVIL RIGHTS/EQUALITY AFRICAN AMERICANS AMERICAN CULTURE ROSA PARKS ROSA MCCAULEY WAS BORN IN TUSKEGEE ALABAMA AS A YOUNG GIRL SHE ATTENDED SEGREGATED SCHOOLS AND THEN A PRIVATE SCHOOL IN MONTGOMERY SHE MARRIED RAY PARKS A BARBER IN 1932 HER HUSBAND WAS ACTIVE IN SEVERAL CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS AND ROSA PARKS SOON BEGAN VOLUNTEERING FOR SEVERAL GROUPS INCLUDING THE MONTGOMERY VOTERS LEAGUE IN 1943 SHE JOINED THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE NAACP TO HELP ENSURE VOTING RIGHTS FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS ON DECEMBER 1 1955 PARKS REFUSED TO GIVE HER SEAT ON A BUS TO A WHITE MAN AS WAS REQUIRED BY ALABAMA LAW SHE WAS ARRESTED AND HER ARREST SPARKED A 381 DAY BUS BOYCOTT LED BY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PARKS WAS FOUND GUILTY IN AN ALABAMA COURT AND WAS FINED SHE APPEALED THE CASE THROUGH THE NAACP TO THE SUPREME COURT WHICH IN 1956 RULED THAT SEGREGATION ON BUSES WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL IN LATER YEARS PARKS CONTINUED WORKING WITH THE NAACP AND OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS IN 1986 SHE WAS AWARDED THE ELLIS ISLAND MEDAL OF HONOR FOR HER WORK FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
