I'm sure some of you know who Rosa Park is and what she did, but for those of you who don't, here's a brief summary of why this woman is so important.
During the 50's and 60's in the United States there was something called the Civil Rights movement going on. It was all about political and social movements fighting for the African-American population's rights, as they were not treated equally. They faced an incredible amount of obstacles in their everyday life.
In 1958, Montgomery (Alabama), buses were segregated. This means that white people would occupy the front part of buses, while Afro-Americans would have to stay at the back. Nevertheless, if a white person would want to take a seat and there were none available at the front, Afro-American passengers were asked to give up their seat.
This is when Rosa Parks said NO. On December 1st, 1955, a bus driver asked Rosa Parks to stand up and leave her seat, but she answered, 'I don't think I should stand up'. She was then arrested by the police.
As you can imagine, this became a symbol in Civil Rights movement. This act was so inspiring that it immediately led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott: On December 5th, Afro-Americans refused to take the bus and walked their way to work or wherever they needed to go. It was a huge success, as more than 40,000 Afro-Americans didn't get on a bus that day.
This boycott lasted for months, and it really made an impact on the transport system. After 381 days of boycott, the segregation laws were lifted on December 20, 1956.
Protests on streets
Members of the Washington Freedom Riders Committee hang signs from bus windows to protest segregation on May, 30 1961
Rosa Parks seated at the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956
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