10 Facts You May Not Know About Rosa Parks
As we know, Black History Month is celebrated during the month of February. Black History Month is the annual observance of African Americans and their historical impact on society. Every year, we always work on learning more about our Black history and those that came before us. One of the most significant women we have heard about since our school days is Rosa Parks.
Rosa Parks is one of the most notable civil rights activists. You learn about her as early as elementary school and continue to hear her name throughout your life. Her impact on not only the African American community, but the world does not go unnoticed. But, there are surely some facts that you may not know about Rosa Parks. History.com gathered a list of 10 things you may not about Rosa Parks and we are here to share with you some of that information. Check out 10 facts about Rosa Parks that you may or may not know!
- Rosa Parks was not the first woman to be arrested for refusing to yield her seat on a Montgomery bus.
- Rosa Parks was already a civil rights activist BEFORE her Montgomery bus arrest.
- James Blake, the bus driver of the bus who demanded her seat, and Rosa Parks had already had prior encounters with one another before the day of her arrest.
- The Montgomery bus incident was not one that was pre-planned by Rosa Parks. She did not set out to be arrested on that bus that day.
- Many already know this, but in case you did not Parks was not actually sitting in a whites only section of the bus at the time of her arrest.
- The tale about Parks refusing to leave her seat due to her feet being tired is FALSE. History reports that in her autobiography, she simply just was tired of “giving in” and that is why she refused to move out of her seat.
- Several weeks following the bus arrest, Parks was arrested again for her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
- Shortly after the boycott, Parks was forced to move out of Montgomery and ended up in Detroit.
- Rosa Parks was the FIRST woman to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol when she died in 2005.
- On the 50th anniversary of Parks’ arrest, bus seats were left empty in multiple American cities to honor her and her importance on history.
During Black History Month, it is a great opportunity to learn more and more about those that came before us. It is also a time to recognize the impact that history has had on our present day lives. To read more about Rosa Parks and these facts that you may not have known, click here to see the full article.
