Today, we give thanks to Rosa Parks, who changed the world with her incredible bravery 70 years ago. On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks ignited one of the most significant civil rights boycotts in American history when she refused to surrender her seat at the front of a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, a section reserved for white passengers. As the bus grew crowded and the driver ordered her to move to the back, the area designated for Black riders, Parks stood her ground. That single act of defiance helped launch the Montgomery Bus Boycott and transform the national struggle for civil rights.
What many don’t realize is that Parks was already a seasoned activist long before that pivotal day. She had been deeply involved in community organizing and had even supported 15-year-old Claudette Colvin, who months earlier had also refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus.
Here’s what we know about the great freedom fighter’s life and legacy…