Black - African American History Facts

Rosa L. Parks, civil rights activist and inspiration for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, was born in Tuskegee, AL, on this date in 1913. Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus led to the historical year-long boycott of the bus system.

Claudette Colvin, a 15 year-old high school student in Montgomery, AL, refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman on this date in 1955. This act, similar to Rosa Parks' act, occurred nine months earlier. Colvin, ironically was a student Parks' NAACP Youth Council.

Rosa Parks won the Congressional Medal of Honor on this date in 1999. Parks was given the award for her act of defiance and courage in not giving up her bus seat to a white man in 1955, inspiring the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Rosa Parks was honored by President Clinton in the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony on this date in 1999. Mrs. Parks also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor in 1996 for her efforts on behalf of racial harmony.

Rosa Parks, community activist, received the 64th NAACP Spingarn Medal on this date in 1979 for her defiance in refusing to give up her bus seat, her dedication to civil rights, and her devotion to the youth of Detroit, MI.

Rosa Parks was presented the first "Eleanor Roosevelt Woman of Courage Award" by the Wonder Woman Foundation on this date in 1984.

Rosa L. Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white person and was subsequently arrested, inspiring the Montgomery Bus Boycott on this date in 1955.

Inspired by Rosa L. Parks' refusal to give up her seat in the front of a bus to a white person, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began on this date in 1955. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a leader in the boycott, was elected president of the newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association.