Sarah Hooper
Published December 1, 2025 10:45am
Updated December 1, 2025 11:15am
Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook
Comment now
Comments
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Up Next
Previous Page Next PageRosa Parks became the face of a movement in Montgomery, Alabama. after refusing to give up her seat to a white man 70 years ago today.
That singular act of protest in 1955 sparked a city-wide bus boycott and catapulted Parks, who was 42 at the time, to the forefront of a national conversation.
Even though the bus protest made her a familiar name, Parks had already been involved in the Civil Rights Movement for many years and would continue working until her death.
On people misunderstanding her role, Parks said: ‘People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.’
Her singular act is lauded in the American curriculum each year, where children learn of her brave choice to take a stand. But the rest of her life is left out of classrooms – an omission, Dr Mary Frances Berry says, that is intentional.
Her 1955 mugshot is famous around the world (Picture: Getty)
Dr Berry is a Professor of American Social Thought, History and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the former Chair of the US Civil Rights Commission.
Like Parks, Dr Berry has dedicated her life to activism, focusing on human and civil rights. She first met Parks in 1967, when riots broke out across Detroit, prompting troops and the federal government to get involved.
‘Parks was involved in almost every protest about human rights issues that took place during that long period,’ Dr Berry explained.
‘Through her work with Conyers and simply by being herself, she was always on the case, always there, even if they just let her wave. She was a symbol of it, and her words were so inspiring.
‘People should look at her not just as a woman who sat down on the bus. If she had waited for a public opinion poll saying she would win when she sat down on the bus, she’d still be standing up, because the polls would have said, “No way. Don’t take the chance.”‘
Dr Berry says it’s vital to remember Parks was a human rights leader and activist, not just a woman who had a long day and said ‘my feet are tired’.
A life of protest overlooked
Rosa spoke at marches across the country (Picture: Getty)
In schools across America, the story of Parks is told as that of a woman refusing to get up from her seat after a long day at work in a small act of protest. In reality, Parks had been protesting all her life.
‘Downgrading her life to that singular moment of resistance allows America to avoid confronting the other causes she worked on later in her life, which could be seen as “divisive”,’ Dr Berry said.
‘All of the other causes she was involved in, including the Free South Africa Movement, which was bipartisan and became a major international issue, were controversial at the time,’ she added.
‘A lot of the issues she talked about, such as protests against police abuse of citizens and violations of people’s First Amendment rights, would be considered controversial even today.
‘If Rosa Parks had been seen in the full embodiment of her real self, all of those awards she received later, like the Congressional Gold Medal, would have created controversy.’
Her life’s work shouldn’t be overshadowed by her act of protest in Alabama, Dr Berry argued (Picture: Getty)
Not only did the issues that Parks highlighted extend beyond segregation on buses, but she also was not the first to do refuse to move from her seat in protest, Dr Berry pointed out.
‘There were people who had sat down on the bus before. But she had the ideal biography. There wasn’t anything negative you could say about her, and she made a good image for the movement. I think that’s why her arrest is so focused on,’ she added.
Dr Berry also argues that if Parks were to make a similar act of protest in today’s political climate, it would be impossible to speak about the other causes she devoted her life to.
‘Today, schools have had books banned and topics restricted. They can’t talk about racial issues in any way,’ she said.
‘The full picture of Rosa Parks would be unacceptable now. In this period of the United States – the era of Trump, anti-diversity, banning books, taking down statues that honour our national heroes – any recognition of anything Black people ever did is being removed.’
What museum exhibits is Trump trying to 'edit'?
Dr Berry is referencing The White House’s ‘review’ of current and former exhibitions at museums to make sure they align with Trump’s agenda and view of history.
There are a few displays and museums that Trump isn’t happy with.
One exhibit is about Benjamin Franklin, and lists his scientific discoveries, linking them to the slaves he owned.
Another reference is to George Floyd’s death, which Trump says puts police in a bad light.
Trump wrote on Truth Social: ‘The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.’
The changes are already being implemented.
A photo of Peter Gordon’s scarred back left such an impression on Americans in the 1800s that it solidified the movement to end slavery in the US for good.
The famous photo, known as ‘The Scourged Back’, taken in 1863, is set to be removed from the National Portrait Gallery.
Dr Berry added: ‘Fighter pilots, war heroes, and people who served others, because they say it doesn’t put America in a “good light”.
‘It puts America in a good light if you say Rosa Parks was just a non-violent, unassuming kind of woman. But if you said she was the Rosa Parks she really was, for those people who want to remove all the things Black people did for America might kick her out of the icon category.’
So what should America remember about Rosa Parks?
‘She never gave up,’ Dr Berry smiled. ‘She lived her life, even when she and her family were impoverished, for her actions.
‘Every time I saw her, she was committed. Despite whatever suffering, she believed that activism and non-violent protest are an essential ingredient of any kind of political change.
‘The time when you need to do something is when no one else is willing to do it, when people are saying it can’t be done. If Rosa Parks had taken a poll before she sat down on the bus in Montgomery, she’d still be standing.’
What other causes did Rosa Parks fight for?
Rosa Parks’s life saw her meet politicians around the world, including Desmond Tutu (Picture: Getty)
After her arrest for disorderly conduct and being placed in prison, Parks still did not stop fighting.
More Trending
-
Manhunt for gunman after four killed at 'targeted' shooting of child's birthday party
Channel: US US 4 hours ago By Jen Mills - Dad charged with torture over hike that left two children fighting for life
- Hunt for missing baby after mum's body was found days before she was due to give birth
- Full list of nationalities who could lose their US green cards under latest Trump plans
She sparked a movement. Some 70% of the bus riders in Montgomery were black, so the boycott crippled their business. After the bus boycott, she moved to Detroit.
Her small but powerful act gave her a nickname as ‘the mother of the civil rights movement’.
Parks was at the March on Washington, the Freedom Summer of 1964 and later went on to support Nelson Mandela’s fight against apartheid and entered politics.
She also supported the Black Power movement, whose leaders disagreed with the non-violent forms of protest spearheaded by Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Arrow MORE: What is happening in Venezuela and is Trump really planning a US invasion?
Arrow MORE: Hunt for missing baby after mum’s body was found days before she was due to give birth
Arrow MORE: ‘When I feel burnt out, I ask angels to manage my diary’
Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source News UpdatesStay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.
Email I agree to receive newsletters from Metro I agree to receive newsletters from Metro Sign UpSign UpThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
