Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Rosa Parks

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Rosa Parks made an impact.

Rosa Parks was a pivotal figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. Her courageous refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955, in violation of discriminatory Jim Crow laws, ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This event became a landmark protest against racial segregation and propelled Parks to national prominence as an icon of resistance and a symbol of the struggle for racial equality. Often referred to as the 'mother of the civil rights movement', she dedicated her life to fighting for justice and equality.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Legacy & Impact

1933: Parks Completes High School

In 1933, Rosa Parks completed her high school education with encouragement from Raymond. Subsequently, she worked as a nurse's aide and sewed to supplement her income.

1941: Parks Begins Working at Maxwell Air Force Base

In 1941, Rosa Parks began working at Maxwell Air Force Base. The base's integrated environment contrasted sharply with the segregated buses she had to use when returning home.

December 1943: Parks Elected Secretary of NAACP Chapter

In December 1943, Rosa Parks was elected secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

1943: Parks Joins NAACP

In 1943, Rosa Parks joined the Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and began serving as the organization's secretary.

1944: Parks Investigates Recy Taylor Case

In 1944, as secretary, Rosa Parks began investigating the gang rape of Recy Taylor, a Black woman from Abbeville. She organized "The Committee for Equal Justice for Mrs. Recy Taylor" after a grand jury declined to indict the perpetrators.

1945: Parks Successfully Registers to Vote

In 1945, after multiple attempts since 1943, Rosa Parks finally succeeded in registering to vote, encouraged by NAACP activist E. D. Nixon.

1952: Parks Organizes Support for Jeremiah Reeves

In 1952, Rosa Parks organized support for Jeremiah Reeves, who was accused of raping a white woman.

1954: Parks Works for the Durrs

In 1954, Rosa Parks began working as a seamstress for Clifford and Virginia Durr, a white couple who were politically liberal and opposed to segregation.

December 1, 1955: Parks Boards Bus, Leading to Arrest

On December 1, 1955, at around 5:30 p.m., Rosa Parks boarded a bus after purchasing items from Lee's Cut-Rate Drug. She sat in the middle section of the bus, unaware that James F. Blake was the driver. This led to her arrest for refusing to give up her seat.

December 5, 1955: Montgomery Bus Boycott Planning and Parks's Trial

On December 5, 1955, the day of Rosa Parks's trial, the Women's Political Council (WPC) initiated a one-day boycott of Montgomery buses. The WPC, led by Jo Ann Robinson, produced 35,000 leaflets announcing the boycott. Attorney Fred Gray agreed to represent Parks, after Nixon conferred with Clifford Durr about the possibility of adopting Parks's arrest as a test case.

1955: Parks's Refusal to Move

During the 1979/1980 academic year, during Parks's visit to the Black Panther school in Oakland, California, she attended a student play dramatizing her refusal to move in 1955, staying after to answer the students' questions.

1955: Parks Refuses to Give Up Bus Seat

In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to move from her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, defying Jim Crow segregation laws. This act sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, a pivotal event in the civil rights movement.

1955: Parks Arrested for Bus Incident; Boycott Begins

In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus. The Women's Political Council organized a one-day bus boycott on the day of her trial, which then extended indefinitely. The Montgomery Improvement Association organized its own transportation network. The boycott lasted 381 days until segregation on buses was deemed unconstitutional in Browder v. Gayle.

January 1956: Parks Fired, Boycott Continues

In January 1956, Rosa Parks was terminated from her seamstress job at Montgomery Fair due to her involvement in the bus boycott. A week later, her husband, Raymond, was also terminated from his job at Maxwell Air Force Base. Montgomery Police Commissioner Clyde Sellers initiated a "Get Tough" policy, harassing Black pedestrians and boycott participants. Boycott organizers, including Parks, received regular death threats.

February 1956: MIA Relief Fund and Health Issues

In February 1956, King requested a $250-$300 disbursement for Parks from the MIA relief fund due to financial hardship after being terminated from their jobs, which was authorized. Parks developed severe health problems, including chronic insomnia, stomach ulcers, and a heart condition.

December 20, 1956: Supreme Court Orders Bus Integration, Boycott Ends

On December 20, 1956, the Supreme Court ordered the integration of Montgomery's buses, following the Browder v. Gayle ruling. King called off the boycott that day, 381 days after it began.

August 1957: Parks Moves to Detroit

In August 1957, Rosa Parks left Montgomery for Detroit, prompted by economic insecurity, threats to her safety, and divisions within the MIA leadership. The MIA raised $500 for her as a "going-away present".

October 1957: Parks Briefly Works at Holly Tree Inn

In October 1957, Rosa Parks moved to Hampton, Virginia, to work at a Holly Tree Inn as a hostess, before returning to Detroit in December.

1962: Parks Attends SCLC Convention

In 1962, Rosa Parks attended the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) convention in Birmingham, Alabama.

August 1963: Parks Participates in March on Washington

In August 1963, Rosa Parks traveled to Washington, D.C. to take part in the March on Washington, where she was honored alongside other prominent women in the civil rights struggle.

1964: Parks Works on Conyers's Congressional Campaign

In 1964, Rosa Parks played a critical role in John Conyers's congressional campaign, persuading King to endorse him. After Conyers was elected, he hired her as a secretary and receptionist for his congressional office in Detroit.

1965: Parks Joins Selma to Montgomery Marches

In 1965, Rosa Parks attended the Selma to Montgomery marches, joined the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, and supported the Freedom Now Party.

1967: Parks Expresses Beliefs on Gradualism

In a 1967 interview, Rosa Parks stated that she did not believe in gradualism.

1968: Parks Attends Philadelphia Black Power Conference

In 1968, Rosa Parks took part in the Black power movement, attending the Philadelphia Black power conference.

1972: Parks Attends National Black Political Convention

In 1972, Rosa Parks continued to support the Black power movement, attending the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana.

July 1975: Little Acquitted Following Defense Committee Support

In July 1975, Joanne Little was acquitted following national outcry around her case, after Parks played a key role in the establishment of the Detroit chapter of the Joanne Little Defense Committee.

1979: Parks Visits Black Panther School

In the academic year of 1979/1980, Rosa Parks visited the Black Panther school in Oakland, California.

1981: Parks Supports Arrested Activists

In 1981, Rosa Parks wrote to attorney Chokwe Lumumba in support of arrested activists from the Black Liberation Army, the May 19th Communist Organization, the RNA, and Weather Underground.

1984: Parks Supports Jesse Jackson's Presidential Campaign

In 1984, Rosa Parks supported Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign.

1985: Unsuccessful NAACP Detroit Chapter Run

In 1985, Rosa Parks and Joe Madison unsuccessfully ran for president and vice president of the NAACP's Detroit chapter.

1987: Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute Founded

In 1987, Rosa Parks co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development with Elaine Eason Steele.

1987: Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development Co-founded

In 1987, Rosa Parks, along with Elaine Eason Steele, co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. The institute was created with the purpose of enhancing youth leaders' capabilities in advancing civil rights initiatives. The institute also conducts "Pathways to Freedom" bus tours that introduce young people to significant civil rights and Underground Railroad locations throughout the country.

1988: Parks Supports Jesse Jackson's Presidential Campaign Again

In 1988, Rosa Parks supported Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign for a second time. Speaking on his behalf at the 1988 Democratic National Convention.

1990: Parks calls for Nelson Mandela's release

In 1990, at a Washington, D.C. gala celebrating her birthday, Rosa Parks gave a speech calling for the release of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela.

1992: Rosa Parks: My Story Publication

In 1992, Rosa Parks authored her autobiographical work, titled Rosa Parks: My Story.

Rosa Parks: My Story

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1994: Attendance at National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America meeting

In 1994, Rosa Parks attended the meeting of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America in Detroit along with Jesse Jackson and Queen Mother Moore.

1995: Participation in Million Man March

In 1995, Rosa Parks, upon the invitation of Louis Farrakhan, participated in the Million Man March alongside Moore, Betty Shabazz, Dorothy Height, and Maya Angelou.

1997: Dear Mrs. Parks Publication

In 1997, Rosa Parks authored her autobiographical work, titled Dear Mrs. Parks.

Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue with Today's Youth

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1999: Cameo Appearance on Touched by an Angel

In 1999, Rosa Parks filmed a cameo appearance for the television series Touched by an Angel.

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2001: Boycott Film

In 2001, Iris Little-Thomas portrayed Rosa Parks in the film Boycott, directed by Clark Johnson.

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2001: Open letter against military response

In 2001, following the September 11 attacks, Rosa Parks joined Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, and Gloria Steinem in signing an open letter that cautioned against a "military response" and advocated for international collaboration.

2002: The Rosa Parks Story Biopic

In 2002, Angela Bassett portrayed Rosa Parks in the biopic The Rosa Parks Story, directed by Julie Dash.

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2016: Tyler Freed After Wrongful Conviction

In 2016, Gary Tyler was ultimately freed, after 41 years in prison, as Rosa Parks advocated for Gary Tyler, who was wrongfully convicted of shooting of a 13-year-old white boy while being attacked by a group of white segregationists.