How Rosa Parks Shaped the Future: A Legacy Timeline

A detailed timeline of the impact and legacy of Rosa Parks across different fields.

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

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.

1963: SCLC Establishes Rosa Parks Freedom Award

In 1963, the SCLC established the Rosa Parks Freedom Award in honor of her contributions to the civil rights movement.

1972: Rosa Parks Receives Rosa Parks Freedom Award

In 1972, Rosa Parks received the Rosa Parks Freedom Award from the SCLC.

1976: Detroit's 12th Street Renamed

In 1976, Detroit's 12th street was renamed "Rosa Parks Boulevard" at the behest of her friend Louise Tappes.

1979: Supersisters Trading Card

In 1979, Rosa Parks was featured on one of the cards in the Supersisters trading card set, as card no. 27.

1983: Induction into Michigan Women's Hall of Fame

In 1983, Rosa Parks was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.

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.

1991: Bronze Sculpture Displayed at National Portrait Gallery

In 1991, a bronze sculpture of Rosa Parks was displayed at the National Portrait Gallery.

1993: Induction into National Women's Hall of Fame

In 1993, Rosa Parks was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.

1997: Michigan Designated Rosa Parks Day

In 1997, Michigan designated February 4 as Rosa Parks Day.

2000: Rosa Parks Library and Museum Opened

In 2000, Troy University opened the Rosa Parks Library and Museum at the site of Parks's arrest with a cost of $10 million.

2002: Parks's Apartment Placed on National Register of Historic Places

In 2002, Rosa Parks's apartment in Montgomery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

2003: Bus Placed on Display at The Henry Ford museum

In 2003, the bus on which Rosa Parks refused to move was restored with funding from the Save America's Treasures program and placed on display at The Henry Ford museum.

October 24, 2005: Rosa Parks Dies

On October 24, 2005, Rosa Parks passed away. Her legacy as the "mother of the civil rights movement" remains.

October 29, 2005: Approval for Parks's Remains to Lie in State

On October 29, 2005, Concurrent Resolution 61, introduced by Representative Conyers, received approval, allowing Rosa Parks's remains to lie in state at the United States Capitol rotunda from October 30 to October 31.

2005: Memorial Services for Rosa Parks

After Rosa Parks' death in 2005, public viewings and memorial services were held in Montgomery, Washington, D.C., where she lay in state at the United States Capitol rotunda, and Detroit, where she was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery.

2005: Authorization for Statue in National Statuary Hall

In 2005, President Bush signed H.R. 4145, authorizing a statue of Rosa Parks to be placed in the National Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol, making her the first Black American to receive this honor.

2006: Hempstead Transit Center Renamed

In 2006, Nassau County, New York County Executive Tom Suozzi announced that the Hempstead Transit Center would be renamed the Rosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center in honor of Rosa Parks.

2009: Rosa Parks Station and Transit Center Named

In 2009, The Portland Boulevard station of the Los Angeles County MetroRail system was officially named Rosa Parks Station, and the Rosa Parks Transit Center opened in downtown Detroit.

2010: Asteroid Named in Parks's Memory

In 2010, the asteroid 284996 Rosaparks, discovered by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, was named in Rosa Parks's memory.

February 4, 2013: "100th Anniversary of the Birth of Rosa Parks" Proclamation and Postage Stamp Unveiling

On February 4, 2013, Obama proclaimed the day as the "100th Anniversary of the Birth of Rosa Parks", calling for Americans to honor her legacy. The Henry Ford Museum designated the day as a "National Day of Courage," and the United States Postal Service unveiled a postage stamp in Parks's honor.

Others born on this day/year

2013: Unveiling of Statue in National Statuary Hall

In 2013, a statue of Rosa Parks sculpted by Eugene Daub and Rob Firmin, depicting her on the day of her arrest, was unveiled in the National Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol, with President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner in attendance.

2014: Statue Dedicated at Essex Government Complex

In 2014, a statue of Rosa Parks was dedicated at the Essex Government Complex in Newark, New Jersey.

2015: Rosa Parks Station Opened in Paris

In 2015, Rosa Parks station opened in Paris, France.

2015: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks Biography Published

In 2015, Theoharis's biography The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks was published, arguing that the popular narrative of Rosa Parks as a "quiet" figure obscures her lifelong radical activism.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

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January 4, 2016: Lawsuit Review: Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute vs. Target

On January 4, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reviewed a lawsuit by the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development against Target, alleging that Target infringed on Rosa Parks's rights by selling merchandise using her name. The court ruled that the use of Rosa Parks's name and likeness in the books, movie, and plaque was necessary for chronicling the Civil Rights Movement, permitting Target to sell the items.

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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.

2016: Parks's Former Residence Moved to Germany for Restoration

In 2016, Rosa Parks's former residence in Detroit was threatened with demolition, leading American artist Ryan Mendoza to have the house disassembled, moved to his garden in Germany, and partly restored and converted into a museum honoring Parks.

2018: Public sculpture unveiled and house returned to the United States

In 2018, Continuing the Conversation, a public sculpture of Rosa Parks, was unveiled on the main campus of Georgia Tech, and Rosa Parks's former residence, after being moved to Germany in 2016, was moved back to the United States and eventually exhibited at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.