62nd Anniversary of Rosa Parks Refusal to Give Up Bus Seat

She is known as the “first lady of the civil rights movement.”
It was December 1st 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery city bus.
Parks’ arrest led to the Montgomery Bus boycott, which then led to the desegregation of the city bus system.
But Rosa Parks Museum director Felicia Bell says there was more to Rosa Parks than just that.

“Mrs. Parks was an activist before she was arrested. She was a field secretary in the NAACP. She also, after her arrest, was on the board of Planned Parenthood, so she was an activist for women’s reproductive rights. She was also an activist for the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa.” said Bell.

On this anniversary of the refusal to give up her seat, the museum offers free admission to guests and a tour of a replica of the city bus like the one Rosa Parks rode.

“Mrs. Parks was an ordinary woman who did an extraordinary thing, so we hope that our visitors can take that away from their visit here,” said Bell.

First time tourists to Montgomery tell us it’s something they can appreciate.

“Just unbelievable to see the stories and the history. And you hear so much about it but to be in the place where it happened is pretty awesome,” said Katie Henderson visiting from Utah.

Although race relations have come a long way in the U.S. since Rosa Parks’ time, some say there is more work to be done.

“I just hope that improvements keep on happening and we can stay united. And right now it’s more important than ever to stay united as a country and just as humans, yeah I just hope it keeps improving,” said McKenna Petty from Utah.