The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Throughout her life, Parks maintained that her contributions to the civil rights movement paled in comparison to those of countless others who fought for social justice. She was proud of her personal heritage. Her grandfather was enslaved and held his children to ambitious standards. He had strong views about race and pursued activism. Her mother was an advocate for education who wanted her daughter to recognize the lack of freedoms that were available to her and to do something about it. Raymond Parks was also an activist, and his political views and passion drew her to him.

As news reporters drew attention to her refusal to stand on the bus, Parks gently reminded them that she was not the first to take a stand on a Montgomery bus, nor would she be the last. She spent 10 years fighting for social justice before that fateful day, and she spent the rest of her life continuing that work. Along the way, she met numerous people who contributed to the movement. Some, such as King and Malcolm X, were well-known; others, including Durr, Gray, and Baker, were less recognized. Many of her fellow activists—those who daily contributed to the cause through their donations, daily actions, and support—were unrecognized by history but formed what Theoharis calls a “constellation of resistance” (73). Parks testified to the fact that rebellion is collective.

She also held a unique view of rebellion that runs contrary to the symbol and fable of her life. Parks followed the Black Power movement closely and believed that self-defense and strength were important parts of rebellion. She advocated for a balance of both nonviolence and force. These views harken to her experiences as a child when a white boy pushed her on the sidewalk. When she pushed back, the mother threatened to press charges against the young Rosa. The girl, not to be intimidated, insisted on the truth, which was that she was pushed first and acted in self-defense. She realized then that when she stood up and met racism chin to chin, it often shrank back. Rosa's gumption was seen again when she and her family received death threats and menacing phone calls following the bus boycott. Instead of quitting and giving up her advocacy work, she doubled down and devoted the rest of her life to improving the lives of Black Americans.

For Parks, rebellion was a collective effort that fought back—strongly, morally, and with conviction—against discrimination and oppression. Theoharis refers often to her humility and modesty. Her lack of pride was not a lack of dignity or self-respect. Instead, it was rooted in the truths she held to regarding resistance. She was one of many, a part but not a whole.