Video: Rosa Parks In Her Own Words
A look into the life and activism of Rosa Parks, as highlighted in a new collection at the Library of Congress.
The story of Rosa Parks is taught in grade schools across the United States. But how much do you really know about the civil rights hero who launched the Montgomery bus boycott? And what about the rest of her life, before and after that fateful day on a bus?
Rosa Parks’ famous act of civil disobedience, refusing to give up her seat for a white person, was not the spontaneous act of a tired woman. Parks was already a prominent activist in her community and a member of the Montgomery NAACP. She worked on previous civil rights cases as a secretary for the NAACP. Her stand on December 1, 1955, while perhaps not specifically planned, was part of an initiative to begin peaceful protests around the Montgomery bus laws. And it worked; for the simple crime of staying seated, Rose Parks was taken to jail, and the boycotts began.
For Parks, life after the bus incident proved challenging. She lost her job as a seamstress, faced regular threats, and was eventually forced to move from Montgomery. Nonetheless, Parks continued her activism for the rest of her life. Her brave act of defiance, and her sacrifices that followed, were a crucial contribution to the end of Jim Crow laws.
In 2019, the Library of Congress opened the collection Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words. The exhibit offers a unique insight into her life and the larger Civil Rights Movement she helped start. The videos below highlight parts of the collection and its opening, including featured speakers such as John Lewis.
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