Change-maker in black history: Rosa Parks

To kick off Black History Month, we’re bringing you your first daily installment of history and inspiration. Stay tuned for more historical figures and modern icons, who were all a part of black history.

Rosa Parks was born today, February 4th, in 1913 in Tuskegee, AL and is widely considered the “mother of the civil rights movement.” Parks became a community activist and is best known for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, AL. When she was told to give up her seat to a white bus passenger, she simply told the bus driver “I don’t think I should stand up.” Later, she said it wasn’t because she was physically tired, but simply tired of giving in. She was arrested at the scene.

Her steadfast refusal resulted in the hugely historic Montgomery Bus Boycott, an event considered by many to be the spark of the civil rights movement. Because of her arrest, the NAACP and community leaders urged fellow African Americans to boycott the Montgomery bus system. During the boycott, an estimated 40,000 African American commuters walked anywhere from 1 to 20 miles to work.

Shortly after her arrest she told her simple, but then revolutionary, goal to reporters, “We hope to achieve equal rights, that any human being deserves.”

To hear Rosa Parks talk about that fateful day in her own words, check out the video below.

Then tell us – is there someone who was or is a part of black history that inspires you to get involved? Let us know below!