ROSA PARKS - Book Report

Rosa Parks - Book Report by Ramya Kaja

INTRODUCTION - About me

                My name is Rosa Louisa McCauley Parks.  I was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, 1913.  My  father, James, is a carpenter and my mom, Leona, is a teacher. I also have a brother, Sylvester. I moved to Montgomery in 1924.

                When I was little girl,  I observed many unfair laws between the blacks and the whites. Blacks couldn't use clean things like the whites instead we used old and dirty things.  For example the blacks had dirty water fountains, schools, restaurants, and many more.    

Bus Rules

                In 1943, I joined the NAACP, National American Association for Colored People.   We blacks don't even like the bus rules, because the bus rules are whites sit in the front and blacks sit in the back.  The middle is for blacks and whites but they couldn't sit together and if a white couldn't sit anywhere one black row had to get up and go to the back.  If there weren't any blacks in the middle a black row from the back had to get up and stand. 

Arrest

                In 1955, when I had to ride the bus to work I sat in the back as usual.  When a white couldn't sit anywhere he stood.  The bus driver, James Blake  saw him standing and told my row to get up, at first no one moved then slowly the other two passengers got up.  "Well aren't you going to move "said the bus driver to me.  "No" I said kind of  quiet.  "Then I'm going to have to arrest you" said James Blake.  "That's fine with me" I said.  Soon two police came and arrested me and put me in cell.  Two hours later  I made a phone call to my family and they came to help me.  If I wanted to get out of jail, I would have to pay $100 bail!  My friend helped pay the bail and I got out.  Though I still had to go to the court on Monday, December 5.  

Bus Boycott Plan

                The night of my arrest, I thought it wasn't fair for any of the blacks so they came up with a plan.  They first made 35,000 flyers to tell people about it.  The flyers said, in part: Don't ride the bus to work, to town, to school ,or anywhere, on Monday December 5.  If you work, take a cab, share a ride, or walk.  The next morning, lots of people got some copies, they hang them in public places and gave them to people they knew.  By Friday evening, most people knew about the plan.   But the boycott had already begun.  Some people had already walked or taken a cab.  On Monday, December 5, I  thought if people were going to follow the boycott.  It was a huge success not one single black was on the bus they ether walked or share rides. More than 5,000 people showed support to the boycott.  The bus boycott was a huge success.

Accomplishments

                The bus boycott started in 1955, for more than one year people(385 days)  could see the boycott was working and the bus company was losing a lot of money. Finally in 1956 I sat in the front of a Montgomery bus after bus segregation is ruled unconstitutional, for the first time without anybody judging where I should sit - that was huge success, it is a major accomplishment. Some leaders thought it was heroic act, I was courageous and I am remembered as mother of civil rights.

                In 1963, I attended the March on Washington  In 1996 I received presidential medal of freedom from President Clinton for my contributions to Civil rights. In 1999 I received congressional gold medal.

Making a difference and Future goals

                I am glad I took a stand against racial segregation.  My quiet acts of defiance triggered the civil rights movement in the United States. I believe everybody counts and I made a difference!!!

                I want to tell the black teens and kids that each individual is important and powerful nobody should be held back because of their skin color.  

THANK YOU!!!