Rosa Parks Day 2022: Know the history, significance of the day that commemorates the civil rights activist

Rosa Parks is one of the most important figures in African-American history. She symbolized how a single woman's courage and struggle could change a civilization's course. And today, December 1, we celebrate Rosa Parks Day in the United States to commemorate the bravery and struggle of the civil right activist. Here’s all you need to know about Rosa Parks Day.

Who was Rosa Parks?

Rosa Parks is often called “The Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” in the United States. She refused to move from the “whites only” section in a public bus and triggered what came to be known as the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955. For the impact, she had on the civil rights movement and the African-American history, Parks was honored as the “First Lady of Civil Rights” by the US Congress.

While she was not the first person to resist the discriminatory segregation laws, the NAACP considered her the best candidate for the Civil Disobedience movement. Parks was arrested for violating the segregation laws in Alabama and inspired the black community to boycott the bus service in Montgomery for more than a year. Her act of defiance became the face of resistance against racial segregation in the United States and worldwide.

Rosa Parks passed away on October 24, 2005. She was 92 at the time, living in her rented Detroit apartment.

When is Rosa Parks Day celebrated?

Rosa Parks Day is celebrated on two different dates - December 1 and February 4. December 1 was the date Rosa Parks was arrested in 1955, while February 4 was the civil rights activist’s birthday. The US states of Ohio, Oregon, and Texas observe Rosa Parks Day on her birth anniversary, while California and Missouri commemorate it on the anniversary of her arrest.

FAQs:

1. When was Rosa Parks arrested?
   December 1, 1955.
2. When did Rosa Parks die?
   October 24, 2005, aged 92.