Rosa grew up in the southern United States in Alabama. Her full name was Rosa Louise McCauley and she was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on February 4, 1913 to Leona and James McCauley. Her mother was a teacher and her father a carpenter. She had a younger brother named Sylvester. Her occupation was a Civil Rights Activist and she was best known for Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her parents separated while she was still young and she, with her mother and brother, went to live on her grandparent's farm in the nearby town of Pine Level. Rosa went to the local school for African-American children where her mother was a teacher. Just like any mother Rosa parks mother wanted her daughter to succeed. Rosa's mother wanted her to get a high school education, but this wasn't easy for an African-American girl living in Alabama in the 1920s. After finishing up elementary school at Pine Level she attended the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls. Then she attended the Alabama State Teacher's College in order to try and get her high school diploma.
Sadly, Rosa's education was hit with a brick when her mother became very ill. Rosa left school to care for her mother. After some years Rosa met Raymond Parks. Raymond was a successful barber who worked in Montgomery. They married a year later in 1932. Rosa worked part time jobs and went back to school, finally earning her high school diploma. Something she was very proud of. Growing up Rosa had lived with racism in the south. She was scared of the members of the KKK who had burned down black school houses and churches. She also saw a black man get beaten by a white bus driver for getting in his way. The bus driver only had to pay a $24 fine. Her and her husband wanted to make a change and do something about this. They joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). on December 1, 1955 that Rosa made her famous stand (while sitting) on the bus. A white man wanted her seat so The bus driver told Rosa and some other African-Americans to stand up. Rosa refused. The bus driver said he would call the police. Rosa didn't move. Soon the police showed up and Rosa was arrested. The police then charges her with breaking the segregating law. She refused to pay the fine. That night a number of African-American leaders got together and decided to boycott the city buses. One of these leaders was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He became the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association which helped to lead the boycott. The boycott continued for 381 days! Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the segregation laws in Alabama were unconstitutional. Even though the laws were changed rose park still had to deal with racism along with many others.
She received many threats and feared for her life. Many of the civil rights leader's houses were bombed, including the home of Martin Luther King Jr. In 1957 Rosa and Raymond moved to Detroit, Michigan. She still attend civil rights meeting and later on died in October 24, 2005 in Detroit, Michigan.