Why is Rosa Parks important?

Rosa Parks is considered a very important figure in American history because of her contribution as a civil rights activist.  Born as an African-American in 1913, Parks was among the many blacks across America who longed for equal rights with the predominantly white population.  During her time, racial segregation was still the common practice in various states across the U.S.  And with Rosa Parks’ actions and contributions to promote equal rights among blacks and whites in America, she became an important figure.

Specifically, Rosa Parks influenced the staging of the so-called Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama during her life.  Back in 1955, Rosa Parks was on board one bus in Montgomery, and she was asked to give up her seat up front for some white passengers.  This was the usual practice back then, but Parks refused what she was asked to do and instead sat on her seat up front.  This incident created much buzz and controversy in Alabama which led to her eventual arrest.  Although it wasn’t the first time that an African-American refused to give up his or her seat on the bus, the incident involving Rosa Parks eventually led to a mass boycott among African-Americans on public buses in Montgomery.  For one year, the blacks in Montgomery did not ride public buses and instead transported each other by means of private vehicles.

This incident also led to Rosa Parks’ major involvement in the promotion of civil rights across the U.S. along with another famous activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. who actually led the bus boycott.  With the help of other civil rights activists, Parks and King, Jr. were able to bring their concern to a nationwide scale and reach all parts of the U.S.  Upon Parks’ death, she was honored with several medals for her contribution to the promotion of civil rights in the U.S.