On this day in Black History: Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama

Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama (GETTY IMAGES)

TUSKEGEE, Alabama – On Feb. 4, 1913, seamstress turned Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.

American Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks poses as she works as a seamstress, shortly after the beginning of the Montgomery bus boycott, Montgomery, Alabama, February 1956. (Photo by Don Cravens/Getty Images) (GETTY IMAGES)

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According to RosaParks.org, Parks was Rosa Louise McCauley. She was the first child of James and Leona Edwards McCauley.

Later, the family moved to Pine Level, Alabama where Rosa was educated in a rural school.

Rosa received her high school diploma in 1934, after marrying Raymond Parks on December 18, 1932.

Raymond was said to have been a self-educated person with the assistance of his mother, Geri Parks. His immaculate dress and his thorough knowledge of domestic affairs and current events made most think he was college educated.

When she was 42 years old, Parks was arrested in Montgomery for refusing to get up from her seat on public transit to a white man.

That act, along with her continuous work with various Civil Rights organizations such as the NAACP, stamped her eternal mark on the movement to end racial segregation and tensions across the US.

For more on the life, legacy, and impact of Rosa Parks, visit RosaParks.org.


About the Author:

Moriah Ballard joined the KPRC 2 digital team in the fall of 2021. Prior to becoming a digital content producer in Southeast Texas and a Houstonian, Moriah was an award-winning radio host in her hometown of Lorain, Ohio, and previously worked as a producer/content creator in Cleveland. Her faith, family, and community are her top passions.