Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Activist

On December 1, 1955, 42-year-old Rosa Parks became the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" in America by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. On that day, Rosa, of mixed African-American, Muscogee Indian, and Scots-Irish ancestry, helped launch one of the most important movements of the 20th century.

Born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1913, Rosa attended the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls at the age of 11. Thanks in part to the education she received there, Rosa went from small-town seamstress to the driving force behind the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. A true biracial achiever, Rosa was honored with both a Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal prior to her death in 2005. Her story of trials, tribulations, and success inspires all readers with her strength and courage.

On December 1, 1955, 42-year-old Rosa Parks became the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" in America by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. On that day, Rosa, of mixed African-American, Muscogee Indian, and Scots-Irish ancestry, helped launch one of the most important movements of the 20th century.

Born Rosa Louise McCauley in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1913, Rosa attended the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls at the age of 11. Thanks in part to the education she received there, Rosa went from small-town seamstress to the driving force behind the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. A true biracial achiever, Rosa was honored with both a Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal prior to her death in 2005. Her story of trials, tribulations, and success inspires all readers with her strength and courage.

Children's Literature

This book is part of a series on biracial achievers. It is an interesting perspective for a series since many people are unaware or unable to accept that most African Americans are part white, due to the actions of slave owners. The background of African Americans' oppression sets the stage for Rosa Parks, who took an early step towards the removal of the shackles of segregation and unequal treatment of African Americans by refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. Impressed by her heroism, the people of Montgomery, Alabama boycotted the bus company. I remember reading and hearing on the radio about people walking or carpooling rather than riding the Montgomery buses at that time. Out of this event, a new leader emerged, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The activities led by Dr. King resulted in Supreme Court decisions that overturned segregation laws and implemented steps toward racial equality. Rosa Parks continued to be active in the quest for racial equality throughout her life and received many awards and honors. Among them were the Medal of Honor, the highest civilian honor granted by the president, the Congressional Gold Medal, an honorary degree form Soka University in Japan and the Rosa Parks Peace Prize, named in her honor, in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1998, Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Important People of the Century. Now, we have a biracial president, Barack Obama. It is part of the "Biographies of Biracial Achievers" series. Reviewer: Leila Toledo