Cyber-Assignment Summary of Theoharis Chapter 4, 5 or 6 and Homework
Post your summaries here. it is okay if you didn't complete the essay. As individuals, for homework, write another three paragraph summary of another chapter 1-6 and post here by Sunday night. However, if you really want to summarize chapter 4 again, do so.
There is an event Sunday commemorating the bombing of the church in Birmingham 50 years ago. Spike Lee made a film about it, entitled, 4 Little Girls.
Other Events Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington (from wandaspicks.com)
50 Years Later: Commemorating the Birmingham Bombing
A Northeastern University School of Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice project featuring Dr. Angela Y. Davis and Professor Margaret Burnham in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham bombing. $25 admission benefits the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project: http://www.northeastern.edu/civilrights/
The event is at the First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA, Sunday, Sept. 15, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Dreaming On: 3rd Annual Critical Diversity Fall Forum at the University of San Francisco
Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the University of San Francisco McLaren Complex, 2130 Fulton Street, the third annual forum, “Dreaming On,” will feature speakers Jose Antonia Vargas and Sandra R. Hernandez, performances by Awele Makeba and the USF Gospel Choir. It is a free event.
Instructions:
1. In a 3-paragraph summary essay based on Theoharis's chapter 4, include one template from They Say in each of the four original sentences in each paragraph. The templates can come from The Art of Summarizing or The Art of Quoting (your choice). Think about the purpose or what's missing from the summary in your selection.
The citations in each paragraph make it 5+ sentences long. Use one of the following in each paragraph: free paraphrase, shorter citation, and block quote.
2. They Say, the "Believing Game"--post on the blog where indicated. In the 8-8:50 class we will share in class. Bring to class and turn in later afterward. (If we don't get to this in other classes it is your homework as well).
Other homework or outstanding assignments:
3. Amiri Baraka freewrite. Watch the performance and read the poem. You will notice scholarly responses to the prompt. Do not feel intimidated.
4. If you are behind in the reading, catch up. Start thinking about a question you might want to investigate in an essay for Theoharis's book. The one I pose is: How is Rosa Parks's life as portrayed by scholar Jeanne theoharis, Ph.D., in her treatise, The Revolutionary Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, emblematic of revolutionary fervor?
The Parks Essay: Notes
Students will have to find two other sources to supplement their research on the topic. The other sources need to be scholarly (1) and the other can be for general consumption, such as a trade periodical or a news article. One article should be a biography of the author or an author interview. Students are not limited to three sources (I am counting the book as one); writers are free to include more titles in their literature search. We are practicing in the first essay the use of templates and the writing of Works Cited pages and bibliography and how well we cite in-text.
Wednesday, Sept. 18, you will have an opportunity to research such at the library orientation. Ask questions of the librarian if he does not answer your questions. You will also have the opportunity to visit the reference desk with future research questions, and MLA questions later on your own.
There is an event Sunday commemorating the bombing of the church in Birmingham 50 years ago. Spike Lee made a film about it, entitled, 4 Little Girls.
Other Events Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington (from wandaspicks.com)
50 Years Later: Commemorating the Birmingham Bombing
A Northeastern University School of Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice project featuring Dr. Angela Y. Davis and Professor Margaret Burnham in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Birmingham bombing. $25 admission benefits the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project: http://www.northeastern.edu/civilrights/
The event is at the First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA, Sunday, Sept. 15, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Dreaming On: 3rd Annual Critical Diversity Fall Forum at the University of San Francisco
Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the University of San Francisco McLaren Complex, 2130 Fulton Street, the third annual forum, “Dreaming On,” will feature speakers Jose Antonia Vargas and Sandra R. Hernandez, performances by Awele Makeba and the USF Gospel Choir. It is a free event.
Instructions:
1. In a 3-paragraph summary essay based on Theoharis's chapter 4, include one template from They Say in each of the four original sentences in each paragraph. The templates can come from The Art of Summarizing or The Art of Quoting (your choice). Think about the purpose or what's missing from the summary in your selection.
The citations in each paragraph make it 5+ sentences long. Use one of the following in each paragraph: free paraphrase, shorter citation, and block quote.
2. They Say, the "Believing Game"--post on the blog where indicated. In the 8-8:50 class we will share in class. Bring to class and turn in later afterward. (If we don't get to this in other classes it is your homework as well).
Other homework or outstanding assignments:
3. Amiri Baraka freewrite. Watch the performance and read the poem. You will notice scholarly responses to the prompt. Do not feel intimidated.
4. If you are behind in the reading, catch up. Start thinking about a question you might want to investigate in an essay for Theoharis's book. The one I pose is: How is Rosa Parks's life as portrayed by scholar Jeanne theoharis, Ph.D., in her treatise, The Revolutionary Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, emblematic of revolutionary fervor?
The Parks Essay: Notes
Students will have to find two other sources to supplement their research on the topic. The other sources need to be scholarly (1) and the other can be for general consumption, such as a trade periodical or a news article. One article should be a biography of the author or an author interview. Students are not limited to three sources (I am counting the book as one); writers are free to include more titles in their literature search. We are practicing in the first essay the use of templates and the writing of Works Cited pages and bibliography and how well we cite in-text.
Wednesday, Sept. 18, you will have an opportunity to research such at the library orientation. Ask questions of the librarian if he does not answer your questions. You will also have the opportunity to visit the reference desk with future research questions, and MLA questions later on your own.
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 8:46 AM
42 Comments:
Samantha Gober
Fin Saephen
Williko Hudson
Mervin Diguzman
Angela Bedoya
Professor Sabir
English 1A 8-8:50
In Jean Theoharis’s The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, chapter four, Parks’s bus stand brought about the perfect test case for bus desegregation and ignited the civil rights movement. The current president of the NAACP (national association for the advancement of colored people), E.D Nixon saw Parks as “the kind of test case they had been seeking. She was middle aged, religious, of good character, known and respected in the community for her political work, and brave. Parks was a real fighter” (72). However, she was referred to by many critics as “a tired seamstress.”
Taylor Byias, Isabel Grande, Daniel Mao, Kimberly Young, Ariana Yu
Professor Sabir
English 1A, 8:00-8:50am
12 September 2013
Summary of Chapter 4 of “The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks”
In fourth chapter of “The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks,” Jeanne Theoharis portrays Parks’ role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Theoharis emphasizes that Rosa Parks was already earnest in the community with her “long standing community work”(72). Her established conduct and character became synonymous with that of a revolutionary as her actions sparked the commencement of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Theoharis reaffirms Parks’ determination in her description of Parks’ second arrest:
“Parks, along with Nixon, were among the first to present themselves to the sheriff: ‘Are you looking for me? Well I am here.’ As person after person was booked, the largest indictment in Alabama history, the atmosphere outside the county courthouse was proud, determined and almost jubilant.
This mood was very different from that of her first arrest, two and a half months earlier” (110 ).
Before her stand on the bus, Rosa Parks was well known as a secretary for the NAACP and worked under Nixon. She led the NAACP Youth Council and helped organize events to challenge segregation, including protests at the library, which discriminated blacks from borrowing books (Theoharis 33). She also attended the Highlander Convention for civil rights, where she was encouraged to persist in fighting for black equalities. Also, Parks challenged the rulings of several cases of unfair African-American arrests, including the ones of Emmet Till, Mahalia Dickerson, Jeremiah Reeves, and much more. In addition to this, Parks was a generous woman who was admired by both the lower and middle class.
Parks was known as a leading revolutionary during the 1950’s. When she got arrested, it drivened many people to feel that they were also part of the arrest. The rebels walked endless hours to work and were abused by those who did not support them. Despite these obstacles, the black community still managed to cope with their arduousness. Theoharis illustrates Parks’ imprisonment, “Parks’s arrest proved the last straw for many in Montgomery-- the “rightness” of the moment created by the people of Montgomery in the previous to parks’s bus stand and over the next 382 days of the boycott” (78).
Great summary which in theme characterizes Parks as a revolutionary. The examples chosen support the claims make very well. There are some words used which do not seem like the right ones for the job, like: "illustrates" when referencing Theoharis. You could write instead: Theoharis writes or says: "Parks’s imprisonment or arrest proved the last straw for many in Montgomery-- the “rightness” of [this] moment created by the people of Montgomery . . . ” (78).
I don't think "drivened" is a word.
Other verbs used in signal phrases are excellent! Words like "portray" and "challenge." I think "illustrates" is from They Say, and doesn't work.
I corrected a few things in my example (smile).
Michael March
Brienna Fugelsang
Professor Sabir
12 September 2013
English 1A 11am
The Rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Chapter four in The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis, covers Rosa’s historic refusal to move for white passengers aboard a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Parks stand on the bus turned out to be the perfect case to stir up a civil rights movement. As Nixon explained, “if there ever, ever was a woman who was dedicated to the cause, Rosa Parks was that woman. She had a deep conviction about what she thought was right…no one, nobody could… touch her morally, her character or nothin’. He continues, ‘The press couldn’t go out and dig up something she did last year, or last month, or five years ago’” (72). This combined with the fact that she was a well known political figure and middle class woman would give this case a concrete foundation.
On December 5, 1955 as Rosa Parks entered the court, a boycott of the Montgomery bus system began. The boycott was not only to show support of Rosa Parks and her stand on the bus but also in response to the severely unfair treatment the black community had faced. As Martin Luther King Jr. preached, the night before her court appearance, of a time “when people get tired. We are here…to say to those who have mistreated us so long that we are tired- tired of being segregated and humiliated; tired of being kicked about by the brutal feet of oppression” (92). The boycott was met with violence, night raids and such, on key members of the civil rights movement homes, by citizens and police alike. The white community viewed the bus segregation on the bus as a dispute between two groups; without any moral connections. This sentiment led white’s view this boycott as another instance of blacks being “uppity”. Originally only planned for a day, the boycott went on to last an astonishing three hundred and eighty one days.
It was with the stand on the bus that her popularity and ultimately her role in the civil rights movement would peak. She created opportunities that simply did not exist before. Parks recalled “I did as many [things for the MIA] as I could”(94). That fateful day, allowed others, like Martin Luther King Junior to come into the spotlight and gain more exposure and popularity in the cause. She would ultimately be a victim of sorts of her own movement. She became known only for stand on the bus; not for her years of work prior of the decades of work after. She was emblematized, for show and nothing more. She became only a face and her voice lost. She did ultimately achieve what she wanted out of the civil rights movement though, which was for the movement to gain a national audience; for eyes across the globe to witness the atrocities that her people were facing.
Theoharis, Jeanne. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Boston: Beacon Press books, 2013.
Print.
Evan Hill
Deana Watson
Saleena Carpenter
Instructor: Sabir
English 1A 10:00am-10:50am
september 12th
Rosa Parks Essay
In Jeanne Theoharis's "The Rebellious Life of Mrs.Rosa Parks". Chapter four: There lived a great people. She shows rosa parks rise to fame across the black community and the nation as well as the processes involved in carrying out the montgomery bus boycott. Theoharis emphasizes the level of respect that parks commanded from those around her. "If there ever was a way a women who was dedicated to the cause rosa parks was that women. She has a deep conviction about what she thought was right. No one, nobody could touch her morally, her character or nothing". One has to praise the extent to which theoharis went to out parks on a pedeseal. Theoharis also observed the feelings of the citizens of montgomery in relation to rosa parks arrest and how that led to the bus boycott. one woman was reported as saying that black people were no longer afraid to get and by arresting Rosa Parks the bus boycott was set into motion. Theoharis goes into further detail about the boycott and the fact that it had been planned for a much longer time than just the evens on December 15th 1955. To understand a boycott it was built in montgomery from Rosa's stand required seeing the power and inout of her action and the host of other people who then turned that action into a movement. In interviews during the boycott, Parks stressed the issue leading up to a protest- both her and for her own change-and the actions of many who had stepped up after her arrest. Parks was aressted numerous times that her bus stand was part of a constellation of resistance by a number of people in the city that laid the foundation for a more cohesive movement to emerge.
Hun Kim
Professor Sabir
English 1A 10-10:50
11 September 2013
The Sacrifices of a Heroine
In Chapter 5 of “The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks” by Jeanne Theoharis, Theoharis describes the sacrifices Miss Rosa Parks had to make in order to fight for Civil Rights equality. These sacrifices included finances, friends, and even her job. Miss Rosa Parks also had to encounter various death threats regarding her race, and her efforts with the boycott movement. Also, during this hardship, Miss Rosa Parks carried the burden of being a dispatcher, a speech deliverer, clothes and food distributer, and a traveler for the National Advancement Association for Colored People (NAACP). And to make it even harder, Miss Rosa Parks also had to take care of her family as well: “-all while worrying about her own family’s economic well-being and doing whatever sewing work she could find on the side.”
Aside from the struggles Rosa Parks endured, Chapter 5 also describes the travels Miss Rosa Parks went, and what experiences she encountered by meeting other African Americans that were affected by the Civil Rights Movement.
In March, Parks returned to Highlander to speak at workshop. She described the dramatic change the boycott had brought to the city. “Montgomery…[is] just a different place altogether since we demonstrated.”…She also highlighted how others in Montgomery “had experienced something of the same” humiliating treatment that had spurred the protest.
Here, we can see Miss Rosa Parks sympathizing with other African Americans who were also struggling with the humiliation of the treatment of African Americans during this time. Miss Rosa Parks also traveled to Detroit, and helped fund the MIA in a “number of churches” and spoke to Local 600, “a militant Detroit UAW local.” Afterwards, Rosa Parks traveled to New York, where she received an award from the Committee for Better Human Relationships, the first award Miss Rosa Parks had ever gotten.
The last sacrifice Rosa Parks made was her health. The strains from the Civil Rights movement, such as public examination, the financial holes her household met, and the constant death threats had given Miss Rosa parks severe insomnia and ulcers. This stress was unleashed when an arrogant reporter kept criticizing Miss Rosa Parks with questions about her morals, her lust for fame, and also referred to Miss Rosa Parks as a prostitute-causing Miss Rosa Parks to cry in public as well as threatening the reporter. However, Miss Rosa Parks decided to persevere though the Civil Rights Movement, regain her composure, and internalize her stress. Later, in August, Rosa Parks took a vacation at the Graetz family’s house-which was later bombed by white segregationists.
Works Cited List
1. Theoharis, Jeanne. The rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. Print.
Mussa Obad
Denise Burgara
Professor Sabir
English 1A (11-11:50)
9/12/13
As we look into Chapter 4 in "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks" by Jeanne Theoharis, we find the difficulties that Rosa herself, friends, and family were going through during and after her bus arrest. In this comment by Nixon, he explains, "If there ever, ever was a woman who was dedicated to the cause, Rosa Parks, was that woman. She had a deep conviction about what she thought was right... No one, nobody, could touch her morally, her character.." (p.72)
Template p. 26-27
Christian Logan
Derek Oyama
Professor Sabir
11-11:50
English1A
In chapter 4 of Jeanne Theoharris’s The Rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, she describes the events following Parks’ arrest that culminated in the organization of the Montgomery bus boycott that began in December of 1955. After hearing of her arrest, several leaders in Montgomery’s black community realized that this was the opportunity they were seeking to set off a successful boycott. Parks is easily noted as being the kind of person that the community would come out and rally for. She was, to all of the disparate parts of the black community of Montgomery, a person that they knew and trusted. It seemed too many people to be the final straw; to jail the polite and well-loved lady of their community over such a trivial reason. (73) Because of her previous political activist experience that she was uniquely able to both be the in many ways perfect example that the movement wanted, while also being deeply supportive of the cause knowing the potential hardships she might have faced. Even as the movement began to discredit her previous experience in the name of protecting the movement from potential backlash from the white community it still left the not wholly incorrect impression that it was Rosa Parks alone that drove the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
It was Rosa Parks face that truly characterized the movement her silent, but solid determination in the face of prejudice that led to the unity that was previously missing in political movements pushing for the end of segregation. After being pushed around for their entire lives seeing their “lady” (73) Rosa Parks being thrown in jail for little reason they united joining the poorer people with the middle class by finally giving the people an opportunity to show their displeasure in a meaningful fashion. This would however lead to many being assaulted for supporting the movement, this however did little to damper the people’s spirits having been given a new found belief in their own ability. It would be their unity and non-violent unity that would protect them against the worst potential consequences, while also garnering a degree of respect from all parts of the United States. It would be their common hardship in the past which would drive them to do what Joe Azbell a vocal member of the white community claimed was “a slap in the face after all they had done for [the black community] that all good feeling that was there was destroyed.”(96) And if nothing else that destruction of good feeling was felt by the black community as police officers would routinely stop their peaceful attempts to not be segregated.
Huy Vo
Professor Wanda
English 1A, 11-11:50 pm
Sept 12, 2013
Summary
After the Rosa Parks bus stand or civil disobedience, it was a powerful stance that would cause a huge tilde wave. The black people would watch her getting arrested, just standing there doing nothing. Parks went to jail and Nixon and Raymond Parks picked her up, the bail was 100 dollars. They spent the night making a plan of how they could use her arrest as a big political message. According to A.W. West, Parks was the perfect case because, “ was a middle-aged, trusted, and demure, and while not economically middle class . . .”(73). Who she was and how people saw made her the perfect. However, the streets of Alabama was not a safe place, “ ‘the white folks will kill you’ ”.(76)
The Monday following her arrest, King, Nixon, and other black political leaders assemble a bus boycott. That night after her arrest, phone calls were made and the word was spread for a mass boycott of the bus. Little did they know how economically destructive it was. Following the boycott, many white folks were making up rumors up such as that the whole event was plant by the NCAAP. The boycott connected the black community, forming the MIA. Thousands headed up to MIA meeting at Holt Street Baptist Church, literally over-filling the place. Kings and other minsters spoke at the events, however, Parks did not. According to the author, “Reverend Graetz saw the decision not to have Mrs. Parks speak as inextricably tied to gender.”(93). Parks was praise but not consulted for her visions.
As the boycott progress, there were many unfortunate problems that resulted from the civil disobedience. Many white folks would pressure black people economically. Mrs. Rosa Parks was fired from her job at Montgomery Fair and Raymond Parks was compelled to quite his job at the Maxwell Air Force. The Parks family was now without income. Many black people were harassed with death treats, as a result, many slept with a gun beside. Little did that do to stop the black resistance. Networks were made the MIA for their own means of conveyance. The MIA hired black drivers at designated area. However, police would harassed the drivers such as a
false busted head light and such. Parks would get less recognition but still would raise money for the NCAAP and travel to give speaks.
Lawrence Cheung
Briana Del Cid
English 1A 10:00-10:50
Professor Sabir
13 Sept 2013
Partnered/Group Summary
Chapter 4
The bravery and courage of Mrs. Rosa Parks shone brightest in chapter four of "The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks" by Jeanne Theoharis, through her synthesis of great inner morality, and a shocking rebellious spirit. "Parks laughed to herself, 'Who would have thought that little Rosa McCauley- Whose friends teased her for being such a goody two-shoes in her dainty white gloves- would ever become a convicted criminal'" (74). In chapter four, Rosa Parks had done what she would be most famous for in her legacy for centuries to come; Parks denied to be moved to the back of a public bus. This rebellious act caused concern from many people, as shown in the book. Nixon hurried to see what happened, Durr helped, etc. After this, the movements of the NAACP would be built up and lead by Rosa Parks.
Mervin Deguzman
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A
13 September 2013
0800-0850
Rosa Parks' time spent in jail was the last straw for the citizens of Montgomery. Jeanne Theoharis writes, "her arrest would provide the impetus"(78). Rosa Parks's arrest will be main motive for the citizens of Montgomery to form a bus boycott. Although, many have feared that this boycott would not work because of "lack of unity" in the black community. They we're scared and discontent. They all waited for someone to do something and see what the outcome would be. Another woman was arrested before they all united and the protest started.
Rosa Parks woke up that morning of the boycott and ecstatic to see that most of the buses that comes through Montgomery were almost completely empty. Many people have doubted it and thought that the leaders of the community will be a laughingstock at the end of the day, but it was quite the opposite.
Denise Burgara
Professor Sabir
English 1A, 11-11:50
12 September 2013
3 Paragraph Summary
Impact on community
In fourth chapter of The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis portrays Parks’ role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After being arrested, many things were going on, Parks emotions, and the communities’. The word had spread that Parks had been taken to jail and this was when the community actually felt part of the arrest itself and felt deeply connected to what Parks was going through and very much supported her. The community started to raise awareness of all of this. They admired her so much not only because of this particular bravery stance but because of her extensive record in civil rights movement. One might say that this was a positive step towards the end to stop racism in Alabama. In his comment Nixon describes Parks as, “…known and respected in the community for her political work, and bravery. Parks was a real fighter” (72).
Theoharis illustrates Parks’ imprisonment, “Parks’s arrest proved the last straw for many in Montgomery-- the “rightness” of the moment created by the people of Montgomery in the previous to parks’s bus stand and over the next 382 days of the boycott” (78). All of the previous years of solo organizing and the entire people behind it ready to take action, were the key to building this boycott. As Theoharis states, “long standing community work”(72). Of course some might object that Parks did not reach all of this on her own but as Nixon states, the success of the bus boycott was because they used their resources for example the press, public speaking, courts and politics are some of the few.
When it comes to the topic of the Community building support to Parks, most of us will readily agree that they all took a stand together to fight for their lives as this was almost barring at an end. “Hundreds of people stood outside court and packed the corridors of the courthouse…to demonstrate their support.”(88)
Works Cited
Theoharis, Jeanne. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Boston: Beacon Press books, 2013. Print
Kimberly Young
Professor Sabir
English 1A, 8:00-8:50am
16 September 2013
Chapter 5 Summary
In chapter five of “The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks,” Jeanne Theoharis portrays the high price that Parks had to bear, along with becoming a revolutionist. Theoharis describes Parks’s challenges as a survival of pain; she suffers through hate calls, unemployments, medical issues, and many more difficulties (116). Regardless of these obstacles, Parks’s strong personality is able to cope up with these sacrifices. Parks’s survival depends on her determination, family, and friends .
During the fight for freedom, Parks goes through unemployment and financial issues. Parks’s bus stand is burdensome in maintaining her job at the Montgomery Fair Department Store. Parks has to listen to many people’s unsupportive remarks toward her view, which makes it hard for her to work. Regardless of Parks’s hardships, she is able to stay determined for the battle against Civil Right equalities. Theoharis describes Parks’s determination in her descriptions of Parks’s unemployment:
“Parks was very reluctant to attribute her firing from the Montgomery Fair Department Store unequivocally to her bus stand: ‘I cannot say this is true. I do not like to form in my mind something I do not have any proof of.’ As judicious as she was in her assessment, there can be little doubt that her bus stand cost her a position at the department store. After she was laid off, Parks redoubled her work for the boycott. She gave speeches, traveled on behalf of the NAACP and MIA, attended meetings, helped distribute clothes, food, and other necessities to people affected by the boycott, and served briefly as a dispatcher--all the while worrying about her own family’s economic well-being and doing whatever sewing work she could find on the side” (118).
Aside from having determination, Parks also has many trustworthy friends, who helps her in dealing challenges. Like Rosa Parks, Virginia Durr is a generous and kind woman, who tries support Parks with everything she has. Although Durr is not able to give money to Parks, she donates her time and effort in helping Parks. Durr also spends her time “...writing to friends across the country,” which helps Parks in the future (Theoharis 120). Durr writes to Myles Horton of Higherland, who also helps Parks in developing her fight against civil rights equalities. Parks also is very grateful to have friends like Durr.
Juan Taitague, Tiffany Hoang, Hoi Chak, Angel Vargas
Prof. Sabir
English 1A (8:00-8:50)
12 Sept 2013
Collaborative Essay
Jeanne Theoharis’ political biography The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, in chapter 4 “There Lived a Great People,” explains the beginning and cause of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After her arrest, Mrs. Rosa Parks was taken down to city hall where she was denied basic rights such as water, phone calls, and was even asked if she was drunk. She found the whole jail experience to be more of a nuisance than troublesome as she recalled all the work she had to catch up on for the NAACP. Although her work at NAACP was important to her, Mrs. Rosa Parks claims her refusal to stand up had nothing to do with the organization rather it was for her own "dignity" and "self-respect" (78) After been worn down by the lack of support from the community, she found it necessary to stand up and show them change.
Work Cited
Theoharis, Jeanne. "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks." Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. Print.
Danny Gomez
Karla Gomez
Prof. Wanda Sabir
English 1A (8:00-8:50)
12 September 2013
Rosa Parks ch.4 summary
In the book “the rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” by Jeanne Theoharis. Chapter 4 talks about how the bus boycott started in Montgomery. How the black community became much more unite because of the stand Rosa Parks made by refusing to give up her seat and being arrested without putting up a fight. The chapter also talks about some of the hardships Parks faced throughout the whole boycott. But throughout all this they never gave up on conducting the boycott. ”The white segregationist tried to put pressure to stop us. Instead of stopping us they would encourage us to go on” said Rosa Parks. The black community was determined.
Park’s arrest seemed to be the spark of the bus boycott. Park wasn't the only person who made a bus stand, there were many before her but why did the black community only saw her arrest more important than others? Because to the black community Parks was a heroine and a role model, a leader, but to the white segregationist she was known as the “Stubborn person who started It all”. Park was a bit sadden by the fact that when she got arrested it was only her the one who went to jail, and the other black people riding the bus refuse to make stand, and also by the fact it seemed to her that the black community didn't took the arrest of people that made the same stand into count. But she was happy that the black community had become more unite than before.
Rosa parks was not arrested once but twice, except the second time she decided to turn herself in rather than wait for the arrest along with one hundred and fifteen boycott leaders making the biggest indictment in Alabama history. Parks told a reporter she no longer felt alone. Massive crowds came to the courts to support their people being tried. “The indictments and increasing pressure served to galvanize the community and deepen its commitment “. Seemed like white segregationist oppression rather than putting down the black community, it gave them more strength and more reasons to keep fighting for their freedom.
Angel Vargas
Professor Sabir
English 1A 8:00-8:50
14 September, 2013
Chapter 5 Summary
Jeanne Theoharis’ biography The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks chapter 5 shows the side of Mrs. Parks few people have heard of. Yes we know of her and most know she stood up for herself in a bus, and to be honest, how much more do people know of her? This chapter does a good job in shedding light to the life of Mrs. Rosa Parks after she refused to move from her seat. it starts off by mentioning the fact that the boycott affected her financially. It is described “Parks’s action had come at a significant sacrifice to her family’s economic stability.” (116) Her actions not only resulted her in landing some jail time, but was also fired a month after the boycott. This was a devastating blow to her family since they greatly relied on her as a source of income. Events in Raymond’s work which had forbidden him from speaking of the whole ordeal took a toll on him, resulting in his resignation from the Maxwell Airforce Base. If this didn't seem bad enough, to top it off, their landlord raised their rent. Things were really starting to challenge Rosa Parks and her loved ones.
Rosa Parks, however, wasn’t the only one in difficult times. Raymond, who had resigned from work and was an active boycott member received numerous death threats along with numerous hate calls. This was taking yet again another piece of him, it was harder and harder for him to continue. With constant worry he began to drink and chain smoke, which didn't help when following a boycott he suffered a breakdown. “Unnerved, he suffered a nervous break
down during the boycott.” (124) Husband to Mrs. Rosa Parks, Raymond admitted to have been feeling lost, or not having a true identity. He went on to explain the fact that his wife, Mrs. Parks was a such strong involved woman, it made him feel like he had no true identity. Imagine how Mrs. Parks felt knowing that the one of the reasons her husband had a breakdown was a result of her involvement in the whole boycott situation.
The whole ordeal followed by Raymond’s recent breakdown made Mrs. Parks suffer in terms of health. She developed painful stomach ulcers, she suffered from insomnia, which she had as a child, along with this she even developed a heart condition. If this wasn’t bad enough her mother was also quite ill as well. This chapter speaks is intended to focus on Mrs. Rosa Park’s suffering, hence the subtitle of the chapter, but they weren’t the only ones, black folk weren’t the only ones negatively treated as a result of the boycott. One librarian in particular, Juliette Morgan also received constant harassment for supporting the boycott. Following time and boycott as well as a time when the women were honored. Mrs. Parks felt her role diminishing when no women were involved in the Kennedy delegations. “I’ve never seen a more immovable force. We could not get women’s participation taken seriously.” (162) However Park’s was not fighting for attention. Many people felt that Dr. King was being uplifted and praised while Mrs. Parks was in a way fading into the background. She was just happy to stand by what she believed in.
Milin Khunkhun, Jacky Christie
Professor Sabir
English 1A 10:00-10:50
11 September 2013
Rosa Parks Summary (Chapter 4)
The Effects of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
As Jeanne Theoharis makes apparent in her book The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, the African American "leader of the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott" already had a history of fighting racial oppressions, while at the same time, was not the first to do so. It is also clear that she was one of the most praised of the Black Rebellion movement at this time, and stood out in terms of her courage and achievements. One of the biggest consequences of Parks' stand was her arrest. White she was not the first (or the last) African-American to be sent to jail for "rebelling the law", Theoharis explores the specific effect that the imprisonment had on Parks, the actual Boycott, ad especially individuals on the outside. For example, Theoharis states, "Raymond …found this a difficult time and began drinking a lot. 'He was very shaken and very upset…because we had lived under this tension for so long'"(102). As Theoharis illustrates here, while it was Parks who was in prison, close friends and fellow activists were being just as deeply affected by Parks' actions.
While those outside the bars were being affected, the process of being arrested, going to jail, being tried, and staying in prison all had- unsurprisingly- quite an impact on Parks' ever-developing character . It is often illustrated throughout Theoharis' depiction of Parks' legal struggle the transformations Parks goes through to her newfound title of "felon" For example, the excerpt from Dr. King's essay Strike Toward Freedom Theoharis uses states,
She wasn't 'planted there [in jail] by the NAACP, or any other organization; she was planted there by her personal sense of dignity and self-respect. She was anchored to that seat by the accumulated indignities of days gone and the boundless aspirations of generations yet unborn (78).
Kings' basic point in this selection is that Parks' personality was what got her put in jail, that it wasn't just an act of chance. As this shows, Parks' dignity is only strengthened by her arrest for fighting for her freedom.
Once Parks had been arrested, and it was very clear her imprisonment had a great affect on those on the outside, the Boycott really kick-started into full effect. Many who didn't originally feel as much of a drive to rebel- or perhaps were afraid of the consequences- saw Parks' arrest as an extreme injustice, and became motivated to join the movement toward racial equality. There was already a growing following for the blacks' rights protest, but with Parks' arrest came even more supporters- by the thousands. Many of the movements' primary leaders claimed that this (the occurrence of Parks' arrest) was the first time they'd seen their group act so courageously (Theoharis, 89).
Work Cited
Theoharis, Jeanne. "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks." Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. Print.
Milin Khunkhun
Professor Sabir
English 1A (10-10:50)
14 September 2013
Rosa Parks Summary Chapter 1
Rosa Parks Rebellious Beginning
In chapter one of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis, the author characterizes Rosa Parks as a rebellious young black women since she was a child growing up in Montgomery, Alabama with high interests in political and social rights. As a young girl, Rosa McCauley (Rosa’s name before marriage) attended a private all black women school called Miss White’s Montgomery Industrial School for Girls. There, students were taught to become independent women who believe that they are no different from the white culture. Rosa quickly embraced this and had shown it when she was walking home from school and a young boy pushed her off the sidewalk. Rosa had responded by pushing the boy back and later telling the boys’ mother that she was not a bother to him (Theoharis, 9). Many young black girls in that time would not have the courage to be bold and stand up for themselves. Rosa then realized that standing up would eventually benefit her in many ways especially when others would harass her in any way.
When Rosa became older and wiser, her influence to be rebellious about racial equality came from the activist and love of her life, Raymond Parks. Raymond Parks was an active man in terms of fighting for equal rights. Rosa and Raymond both shared an interest in race pride and activism, such as the Scottsboro case. Because of their share in interests,
‘[Rosa] just enjoyed listening to him…. [Raymond] was a very gentle person, very polite [and] … expected to be treated as a man’—to get along if possible ‘but whenever while people accosted him, he always wanted to let them know he could take care of business if he had to. They didn’t bother you so much back then if you just spoke right up. But as soon as you acted like you are afraid, they’d have fun with you’ (Theoharis, 14).
This resembled Rosa because she too wanted to show the white community that she was not an afraid person and that she was an independent and strong black woman who would always stand up for her and others.
Due to Raymond’s involvement in the Scottsboro Case, Rosa Parks became increasingly interested once Raymond and her married. Rosa developed her interest when “Raymond began holding secret meetings at the Parks’s home, which Rosa would sometimes attend,” but “Raymond didn’t want her to be active ‘because it was hard enough if he had to run [and] … he couldn’t leave [Rosa because she] couldn’t run as fast’” (Theoharis, 15). So, Rosa Parks began to look for jobs such as office and secretarial jobs. But, most of these jobs in Montgomery were given to white women. This inequality in the work place then energized Rosa’s urge to become an activist and join the NAACP.
Michael Cunningham
Professor Sabir
English 1A 10-10:50
September 14, 2013
Chapter 2 Summary in TRLofMRP
In Jeanne Theoharis’ The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Chapter 2: It Was Difficult to Keep Going When All Our Work Seemed to Be In Vain, she explains how hard it was to get support from her fellow Montgomarians. They had all just seemed like they were going to live with segregation; like when they were segregated against in the schools, restaurants, busses, and public areas. Rosa Parks did not just want to stop segregation she wanted to bring to light the crimes committed against black women. For example on, (28, Theoharis), “There were numerous cases of sexual violence against black women. In 1949, Gertrude Perkins was raped by two police officers and forced to commit “unnatural acts”.” These cases really made Parks upset because of the fact that nobody wanted to help these African-American girls; Then the fact that whenever a Caucasian girl was raped they were ready to arrest and even kill the African-American male who was accused not even convicted of the crime. For these cases all it would of took was for the community to rally together and fight the case. Parks also started a Youth Council, but with the lack of support of the community she found it hard to find a lot of youths to join.
There was so much lack of support in Parks’ community that it was just ridiculous. One of the driving forces for desegregation in E.D Nixon’s mind was a trip that he had taken to St. Louis. His first trip to St. Louis as a Pullman porter was transformative. He explained,
I was dumbfounded when I got up there and found black and white sitting down at the same table eating in the station. It had a heck of an impact on me. Here you have been conditioned traditionally to “This is the way of life”, and all your life that’s all you have known . . . and then all at once you see something like black and white eating together and it’s just like water that’s been backed up in a dam, and it breaks out and flows over. By the time I got back to Montgomery at the end of that first four day run, I had started to think, “What can I do to help eliminate some of this?”(19, Theoharis)
Nixon wanted a change but without the help of the community nothing could have been done. After Nixon had returned from St. Louis he really saw how different things were between St. Louis and Montgomery in terms of segregation. With the help of parks they had to find out all kinds of things to help solve this problem.
It seems to me that one of the main reasons why Parks and Nixon could not get any back up from the community was because the community was scared to make a change and take a stand. With the chances of racial retaliation towards the African-Americans, that the community just wanted to keep the peace and stay with their families. That plan was not good enough for Nixon or Parks they wanted them to take the chance and make a change. But still the community was not sure if this was a good idea so they stayed the same. In closing, in my eyes a community without equality is like a prison for the minorities.
Evan Hill
Professor Sabir
English 1A 10-10:50
15 September 2013
Rosa Parks Summary: Chapter 1
In Jeanne Theoharis’s “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks”, Chapter 1: A Life History of Being Rebellious, she reveals Rosa Parks life leading up to her marriage to Raymond Parks and also includes his activist work as well and the impact it had on Mrs. Parks. Theoharis observes Mrs. Parks childhood while describing the rebellious spirit that she had and would carry with her throughout her life. Theoharis also goes into detail of Parks’ mentality and how she felt about the way black women were treated at the time, which is evidenced when she writes, “Parks hated the ways black women had to use their sexuality to protect themselves from white power.” Overall, this chapter lays the foundation for Theoharis to delve deeper into Parks’ life of activism and the impact she had on the world.
According to this chapter, Parks spent most of her childhood questioning why things were the way they were and challenging white authority. Theoharis reveals to the reader in the beginning of the chapter that Parks got her rebellious spirit and attitude from her mother and grandfather who taught her self-improvement and respect. Parks’ grandfather was a former slave and thus did not trust white people, and her mother simply refused to appease the southern white’s sense of superiority over black people. Theoharis goes into great detail about her mother’s struggles with keeping the family afloat, as well as Parks’ struggles to get a good education as a child. Theoharis wrote, “The school for black children in Pine Level consisted of ‘a meager one room, unpainted shack with wooden shutters and no windows’ for children from first through sixth grade…”. Parks eventually did attend a proper school that further increased her confidence and rebellious attitude. Theoharis outlines a specific incident that Parks had when she worked for a white family in their home. According to the account given, Parks resisted the advances of a neighbor of the family, who was let into the home while the family was away. Theoharis mentions that there was no clear indication either way of what truly happened, and whether Parks was truly assaulted that night. She asserts that it may have been a fabricated story with the purpose of revealing what black women faced every day dealing with the advances of white men.
Marking the danger of sexual violence that black women faced working in white homes, the story confirmed the importance of resistance and the narrator’s refusal to be cowed... That Parks calls the man “Mr. Charlie” (a term used in this period by black people to put down white people and their arbitrary power) and the black man Sam (possibly for Sambo) suggests that Parks wrote this as an allegory to suggest larger themes of domination and resistance.
It is mentioned multiple times throughout the chapter that Parks detested how black women were being treated and as such this seems to be an underlying theme of the chapter.
Chapter 1 in Theoharis’s book captures a part of the early years of Parks’ life. She covers her early childhood and her schooling as well as several key events that would lead her to her eventual life of activism. The spirit that her mother and grandfather gave her that she carried with her for her entire life, the confidence and drive she gained from her painstakingly obtained schooling, her disgust with the condition of black women in the south at the time and also her almost secret romance with Raymond Parks who was an activist that also opened her further to becoming an activist. These subjects were all discussed in and well covered by Theoharis giving the reader a greater understanding of why Rosa Parks was the person that she was.
Jacky Christie
Professor Sabir
English 1A 10-10:30
9/16/13
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Chapter 3) Summary
Throughout Jeanne Theoharis' book The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, a major theme appears to be that the African-American civil rights leader we know today as "Rosa Parks- the Montgomery bus boycott leader" was actually very involved in civil injustice rebellion and fighting for racial rights after, during, and long before the bus boycott itself took place. That being said, being a chronologically-ordered book, there is plenty of build-up and respect already gained by the time one reaches the point in the book where the occurrence of "Parks' stand" takes place.
While the book is about Rosa Parks' struggle, Theoharis- and Parks herself- gives plenty of credit where it is due to others who had been harassed, harmed, and even jailed for resisting the racist "protocol" enforced in public transportation systems. Theoharis recounts Parks' honest humbleness on the subject of bus resistors in the past: "'I was not the only person who had been mistreated and humiliated,' Rosa Parks said in an interview on Pacifica radio station KPFA in April 1956. Most people had been mistreated, some 'even worse than [me]', Parks noted." (pg.47, par.2). A fair amount of this chapter takes the reader aside from the mainline plot that has driven the rest of the book, and shifts the spotlight from Parks to the "Bus boycott timeline"- introducing to us a list of events that had occurred before her time that also involved black civil leaders who attempted to make a stand against injustice by refusing to stand in busses. The names of these activists fellow to Parks (ex: Viola White, Geneva Johnson, Mary Wingfield,…(pg.48))- while acting for the same cause in just as rebellious ways- tend to be overshadowed when we think of "black heroes", especially in the shadow of Parks. However, Theoharis does not hesitate (and at the time, neither did Parks) to give credit where credit was due.
Another major element of this chapter that one could argue was an element of "Parks' stand" that was misconstrued over the years was the rumor of why Parks refused to move in the first place. When we were little, and first learning about heroes from the racial equality struggle of the 50-60s, many who told us the stories livened or "humanized" the events a little, by explaining the scenario with phrases like "Parks had worked an especially hard shift that day, and her feet were so sore." of "Rosa Parks had had a particularly rough time dealing with racists that day, and was in a bad mood." I couldn't blame the teachers or historians who educated us on these events; After all, the day Parks refused to move to the back of the bus was considered one of the most important days of the African-American rights movement, the kick start of the full-fledged bus boycott- who wouldn't want to emphasize the dates' importance a little? However, Theoharis sticks to the truth about that December 1st, 1955: that it was indeed vital to the movement, but that there wasn't anything particularly outraging or infuriating about that day- just that it was "the straw that broke the camels' back" for Parks. Such elements of the story are important to note, because it exemplifies the fact that Rosa Parks was, while enthusiastic and bold, not some super hero with a cape, but an average, mistreated African-American among the streets of Montgomery who had just as much power and ability as the black women sitting on the us next to her- proving that rebelliousness and courage comes from heart and character, not given opportunity. Theoharis makes this perfectly clear throughout the whole of Chapter 3.
Work Cited
Theoharis, Jeanne. ""I Had Been Pushed as Far as I Could Stand..."." The rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. 46-71. Print.
Alma Ramirez
Prof. Sabir
Eng 1A 8-8:50AM
September 14, 2013
“The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” Chapter 1 Summary
In chapter one of the book “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks,” by Jeanne Theoharis, we are introduced to the early life of Mrs. Rosa Parks and also how in every aspect of her life, Mrs. Parks experienced oppression by society but at the same time got to encounter many people who influenced her to seek change. According to Theoharis, Mrs. Rosa Parks grew up in a home where she was taught at an early age what was going on around her as well as the history of slaves. Theoharis than states how Mrs. Rosa Parks learned to stand up for herself:
“She saw history of black survival, accomplishment and rebellion as the ultimate weapon against white supremacy. To imagine rebellion was not crazy, a comforting lesson to the adolescent Rosa.” (4)
Basically, Theoharis is explaining how Mrs. Parks had many influential factors that led to her long time activism against oppression. The author implies that Mrs. Parks was known as a shy girl to a lot of people, but if there was a case when someone wanted to hurt her, Mrs. Parks would stand up for herself. (9)
Jeanne Theoharis emphasizes the first people to influence Mrs. Parks, from her grandfather, who was enslaved when he was younger, as well as her husband Raymond Parks. The author remind us how each of these people had a big impact on Mrs. Rosa Parks live. An example of this is given by the author when she implies how Mrs. Parks married Raymond Parks due to the admiration for his way of thinking. “It was the first time, outside of her family, that Rosa had discussed racial issues in depth with someone.” (13)
Fin Saephan
Wanda Sabir
English1A MTWTh 8am
September 15, 2013
Using They Say Template to Summarize Parks’ Biography
Chapter One
In the book written by Theoharris, “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks”, she advocates that even though America stood for “the land of the free” (p. 27), Mrs. Parks have been feeling quite the opposite. The author insisted that Park has invested heavily in an organization called National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She says Parks have always been active in her community as a Civil Rights Activist, but felt more has to be done. In this dangerous time, Parks was discouraged from assuming full participation in the movement because others were concern about her safety. Raymond Parks whom she married on December 18, 1932 were especially worried for Parks’ safety.
Working as an activist meant any effort is given will not be appreciated in the 1940s. Theoharris expressed further that Parks teamed up with others like a lawyer named Daniel Nixon to bring awareness of potential discrimination cases. Nixon was given the tittle “Gandhi with guns” (p. 29) because he would drag anyone to court if someone were to stop him from working. Parks took noticed of Nixon for whom he was of different race activist and his sophistication while others dismiss him. During this time when members of the NAACP was losing 90 percent in following, Nixon and Parks mainly focused on cases of white viciousness and legal hanging. Other cases involved voting discrimination. The criteria for the right to vote were so strict that not even people with PhDs could pass its requirement but were made easy for whites. This was also true to black war veterans as well. Furthermore, other cases Theoharris brought about citing Parks’ work was how the law mistreated the colored people. Charges made to the colored people who fabricated or the law just ignores the innocence of colored people. One example is the false rape accusations made to by the law when black males interacted with while females.
Leading up to the bus boycott, Theoharris says Parks attended many gatherings from churches to a certain court hearings so that Parks can document her experiences and to continue her work. Parks’ actions were well calculated and planned. The persistence accomplishment Parks made will produce tremendous outcome which will lead up to her boycott experience in which we all know of. To sum up, because Parks felt the extreme unjust system and how this country doesn’t stand for its own value, Parks’ work will soon bear fruit which will leave a mark in the American history for as long as human beings are alive.
Michael March
Professor Sabir
15 September 2013
English 1A 11am
The Rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
I am not able to post my essay here because my summary is too long.
Ariana Yu
Professor Sabir
English 1A, 8:00-8:50
13 September 2013
“The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks” Chapter 5 Summary
In chapter 5 of “The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks,” by Jeanne Theoharis, Theoharis illustrates the adversity that Rosa Parks suffered after her arrest. Parks had a large amount of stress, which contributed greatly to the deterioration of her health. She had chronic insomnia, which beleaguered her ever since she was a child. She also developed excruciating stomach ulcers and her heart was not in good condition. In addition to this, she had to take care of her ailing family—her mother was gravely ill, while her husband suffered from loss of identity.
Parks’ faced economic security for the longest time subsequent to her arrest. A month after the bus incident the Montgomery Fair (the place where she worked) discharged her, leaving Parks and her family in an unstable state (Theoharis 116). Also, when Parks went to search for a job, no one was willing to hire her. Even the NAACP and the MIA refused to hire her, despite her skills in political work. Instead, those groups hired women that were less suitable for the job, showing their notion that Rosa Parks is dangerous.
The public viewed Parks as a “tired seamstress rather…than a political activist” (Theoharis 117), and because of this, they began to scorn her after the bus stand. She endured hateful sayings both inside and outside her home. At home, she received countless of hateful phone calls, and numerous of death threat messages. Even during interviews, some interviewers would make extremely malicious comments to try to put Parks down. Theoharis describes an interview where this occurred,
“He peppered her with a series of aggressive questions accusing her of seeking publicity,
impugning her morality, and referring to her as a prostitute. Parks grew upset and began
shaking, her teacup rattling. Overwhemlmed by the onslaught, she ‘couldn’t stand him
any longer’ and broke down…” (130).
Sophia Preach
Professor Sabir
English 1A (10:00-10:50)
15 September 2013
Chapter 4 Summary
"There Lived a Great People"
In chapter four of Jeanne Theoharis's book The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks we find Rosa Parks is not just an innocent and sweet woman who was mistreated by whites. Instead we find much greater meaning to her story by seeing her as a strong and dedicated activist who helped ignite a movement that had been growing for years before her individual action.
While Parks was a key figure to the Civil Rights movement as well as the bus boycott, she would often downplay the importance of her role. "Parks herself would event try to deflect the significance of her action on the bus, particularly when she was interviewed by white journalists during the boycott...Given her reserved personality, Parks tended to downplay her own actions and as a seasoned political activist understood the importance of foregrounding the roots of this movement in the broader mistreatment of the black community." (84) Parks never wanted for the glory for herself, in fact she was quite uncomfortable being portrayed as the one who started the bus boycott of Montgomery. She saw herself as "just one of the many who fought for freedom" (82) Rosa was only piece of her "great people."
Work Cited
Theoharis, Jeanne. "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks." Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. Print.
Sophia Preach
Professor Sabir
English 1A (10:00-10:50)
15 September 2013
Chapter 2 Summary
"It Was Very Difficult to Keep Going When All Our Work Seemed to Be in Vain"
In chapter two of Jeanne Theoharis's book The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks we learn more of the struggle to keep the movement alive when all the effort lead to little change. After WWII the treatment of blacks in America felt paradoxical in light of African American participation in the war. After all of the efforts of African American soldiers, like Rosa Park's brother, to keep America free, the continued mistreatment of black felt worse than ever before.
Rosa Parks wanted to be active in changing this inequality. This would prove far more difficult than Parks had imagined. "This was a difficult, dangerous, and ultimately demoralizing period for civil rights activist, as a growing black militancy stemming in part from the experience of World War II met unyielding and increasing aggressive white resistance and violence." (18) Fighting for civil rights in the 1940's felt like an exercise in futility.
Park's activism was significantly advanced by her work with her collaborator E.D.Nixon. Together they worked to bring more members into the Montgomery NAACP chapter. The chapter then began in earnest to campaign for voter registration, and working on legal cases in which blacks were falsely accused and under represented.
Work Cited
Theoharis, Jeanne. "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks." Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. Print.
Rebeca Gonzalez
Professor Sabir
English 1A 10-10:50
Rosa Parks Summary Chapter 1
In chapter 1 of "The Rebellious Life of Mrs.Rosa Parks", Jeanne states how Rosa Parks "credited her mother and grandfather for 'giving me the spirit of freedom…that i should not feel because of my race of color, inferior to any person"(1). Rosa Parks grew up in a home where she was taught her rights that she deserved. She learned since a young age that the way she would get treated by whites wasn't the way she deserved to get treated. She also began to have faith in god when she was young, unlike children now a days, Rosa Parks looked forward to attending church.
Rosa Parks attended a Miss White's school were white people were the teachers but black girls were the students. While attending that school Rosa Parks was taught by Johnnie Carr that "the color of your skin, the texture of your hair had nothing to do with your character"(8). Not only did that school enhance her knowledge, it also impacted her life in learning more about how her color of skin didn't matter. Rosa Parks was a brave person since a young age. She would stand up for herself and others. The knowledge that she had in her about her rights would pursue her to defend herself and to have the courage she did to stand up for herself.
After dropping out of school in the eleventh grade, Rosa Parks began doing "domestic work"(10). And in the spring of 1931, she met Raymond Parks, who ended up being her husband. Rosa Parks described how Raymond "was willing to defy the racists and stand up to the establishment"(13). Rosa Parks describes several aspects of his personality and how or why she fell in love with him. They had many things in common and after getting married they both attended the NAACP. They both inspired each other in wanting to make a change for the way blacks would get treated.
Jeanne Theoharis shows us the many stages in life that Rosa Parks went through and how she faced them. In chapter one she explains how Rosa was raised and what she was taught not only in school but in her everyday life. She also tells us about Raymond Parks and how he impacted Rosa's life. Rosa Parks went through many things and regardless of everything she never showed her weak side. She always stood up for what she believed in, even if she knew she would have consequences to face. This chapter is a great way to get us interested in this rebellious life that Rosa Parks had.
Works Cited:
Theoharis, Jeanne. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Boston: Beacon Press books, 2013. Print.
Hoi Chak
Professor Sabir
English 1A 8-8:50
14 Sept 2013
Chapter 5 Summary
In the biography, "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks" by Jeanne Theoharis notes in chapter 5 "It Is Fine To Be A Heroine But The Price Is High" the life after boycott. The author mentions the impact of the boycott on her life, most importantly to financially. Mrs. Rosa Parks not only lived with "death threats" but also stressed over "her health and that of her husband." (116) Her job was the main source of income and losing her job was a financial blow to her family. Along with the financial blow, both Mrs. Rosa Parks and Raymond recieved numerous death threats and hate calls. As a result, Raymond "suffered from a nervous breakdown" (124) during the boycott. And because Mrs. Rosa Parks was such a independent woman, psychaitrists claim Raymond "had no identity" (124) In addition to her financial problems, her health started to detoriate. Many times Mrs. Rosa Parks mentions the burdens of being an activist and supporting civil rights issues. As an active member of the NAACP, they refused to hire her. At times, she felt that her time and effort was wasted but she did not give up because she hoped that one day everything would be worth it.
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Mussa Obad
Wanda Sabir
English 1A
9/14/13
Chapter One Summary
In Chapter One of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeane Theoharis describes the childhood of Rosa Parks and illustrated many upbringings of her childhood that we “average people” didn’t know about. I’m sure we all know that Rosa Parks was a very rebellious woman throughout her life, but not a lot of us knew her feisty side. Theoharis writes, “Rosa also had a feisty side. One day, when she was coming home from school with her cousins who went to public, a white boy on roller-skates tried to push her off the sidewalk. Rosa turned around and pushed him back. The boy’s mother threatened her with jail.” (p.9). Rosa’s sassy side illustrated her character and grittiness, which was unmatched. She felt that she should defend herself whenever the situation called for it, considering the circumstances she had to live with.
Sometimes her boldness raised concerns with her family, fearing that Rosa may land in to trouble she won’t be able to escape. After that incident with the white boy, Leona McCauley, Rosa’s mother, made her move in with her cousins so she wouldn’t have to walk through white neighborhoods to get to school. After the eighth grade, the school Rosa was attending closed down. ““I guess running a school for black girls wasn’t a very attractive thing for white people to do,” Parks later noted” (p.9). Her response spoke volumes as to how she felt African Americans (black girls in particular) were being treated. They were barely able to receive some type of education let alone solid education that is needed to succeed in life.
Rosa always had activist qualities instilled in her from day one, yet she never met one personally, or at least felt like she met one. That all changed when Rosa’ friend introduced her to Raymond Parks, a man who like no other. Raymond shared many similar qualities that Rosa had, involving character and personality. According to Theoharis, “Raymond---who she called “Parks” was “the first real activist I ever met”. Theoharis later added “It was the first time, outside of her family, that Rosa had discussed racial issues in depth with someone else”. (p.13) Rosa saw Raymond as an established man and they clicked immediately. Rosa’s last name was changed from “McCauley” to “Parks” as they both got married and took on the world as a team.
Works Cited:
Theoharis, Jeanne. "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks." Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. Print.
Briana Del Cid
Professor Sabir
English 1A 10-10:50
15 September 2013
Self Respect is Key
In chapter one of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis informs that Rosa Parks was not the tired seamstress but a rebellious activist because early in her life she was taught racial pride and self respect. Particularly, Theoharis insists that Parks was able to battle discrimination and injustice during her lifetime due to the morals her family and school taught her at a young age. Parks shared that her family believed that she should show courtesy towards herself and other so that others will be polite to her; she must not allow herself to suffer because she is different (Theoharis 1). Park’s mother, Leona McCauley, had considerable amount of influence in Park’s life. Her mother was a role model for young Parks. Her family made sure to instill in Parks a sense of black pride.
Parks was highly educated so that she would have everything she would need to assert herself pride during her time of activism. Mrs. McCauley believed that Parks should have a sound schooling so she not only taught her daughter how to read but she enrolled Parks at Miss Whites Montgomery Industrial School for Girls. In the school Parks was educated that she “was a person with dignity and self-respect, and I should not set my sights lower than anybody else just because I was black. We were taught to be ambitious and to believe that we could do what we wanted in life” (Theoharis 8). This only enforced what Parks family had taught her. Like some of her classmates, Parks would take what she learned from her family and school and use it to motivate others to fight for respect.
Later in her life Parks meets a brave and overconfident man by the name of Raymond Parks which would encourage her to become more rebellious. They became a couple and continued to support each other even after death, Cynthia Strokes reports about Parks hair:
And her braids fell below her waist in a cascade of thick wavy hair that Rapunzel would have envied. When Mrs. Parks saw the astonishment on my face, she chuckled softly, “Well, many of my ancestors were Indians. I never cut my hair because my husband liked it this way. It’s lots of trouble, and he’s been dead a number of years, but I still can’t bring myself to cut it” (Theoharis 13).
As insignificant as this may seem, Parks act of not cutting her hair is not only a way of remembering her husband but it is also an act of rebellion. Parks stays true to herself and her ancestors by not cutting her hair. Even as an older woman Parks was always a rebel, because of the lessons she learned as a child she grew to become a strong and respected woman.
Work Cited
Theoharis, Jeanne. "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks." Boston: Beacon Press, 2013. 1-16. Print.
Hugo Saavedra
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A 11-11:50
16 September 2013
Summary of Chapter Four
Chapter four in “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” begins with Rosa Parks having just been arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. Theoharis highlights Parks’ “character and political experience” (72), and that she was working class but presented as middle class and discusses how this made her sympathetic to a broad base of support. Theoharris touches on Parks’ mistreatment in jail – the officers denied Parks water and her telephone call for a long time before giving her both. Finally Nixon and Virginia Durr came to post bail for Parks, and Nixon, the Durrs, and Raymond and Rosa Parks met to discuss further steps, as Nixon saw the arrest as an opportunity to target bus segregation in the city. Raymond Parks, having much experience as an activist, and a great deal of familiarity with the massive violence that had historically been unleashed on black resistors, did not agree with using Rosa’s as a test case. Theoharris aptly critiques Virginia’s later depictions of Raymond’s reluctance partly by pointing out Virginia’s own reservations and fearfulness for her safety, implying a lack of compassion for Raymond due to seeing him through a gendered and racialized lens.
The chapter progresses into an account of the boycott itself, describing the fear and apprehension among the black community in the days approaching the boycott, and the logistical side of the boycott: its promotion by local organizations, community leaders, and the congregations as well as individuals. In the wake of the boycott Parks is said to have kept a low profile, continuing to go to work and shying away from media attention. Her history of activism is minimized by the NAACP and others in the movement, as well as herself in order to assuage white fears of red militancy during the height of the Cold War. Theoharris painstakingly details the political machinations at work in the administration of the boycott’s movement, such as the decision to see King become the leader of the MIA over Nixon, as well as the great financial and personal sacrifice that was made in order to see it executed. White reactionism both official and unofficial is recounted, such as the White Citizens’ Council “which publicly advocated economic retaliation to prevent desegregation.” (98).
Throughout the chapter and the book as a whole, Theoharris reminds the reader of the historical context of Park’s act, persistently emphasizing the communal nature of resistance in Montgomery and the amalgam of movements and individuals and actions which made the boycott possible. She is successful to this end because rather than focusing strictly on Parks or those immediately surrounding her, she includes the narratives of others in the community who were involved in the boycott and describes the great personal sacrifices that were made. Indeed, she effectively counters the idealization of the events leading up to Parks’ arrest and the subsequent boycott, introducing the case of Claudette Colvin, which was all but ignored by the community, suggesting that in contrast to Colvin, Parks was such a galvanizing figure due to the fact that she was lighter skinned and more passive and thus less threatening a figure than Colvin.
The immense personal costs of the boycott for Raymond and Rosa Parks is also described. Both were subjected to daily harassment which included death threats, alienation, and ultimately both lost their jobs and all of their income. In response to the enormous stress, Raymond turned to drinking – in part because Rosa was so deeply engaged with the movement, Raymond was forced to contend with more daily harassment than his wife. Theoharris depicts Parks as enduring the experience stoically and as a “lesson in organizing, in how people had to move past fear on their own and how much power they possessed once they did”. Theoharris concludes the chapter at the point in which white reactionism had escalated massively, however suggesting that the reactionism had only lent momentum to the movement.
Works Cited
Theoharis, Jeanne. "Chapter Four "There Lived a Great People": The Montgomery Bus Boycott." The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Boston: Beacon, 2013. 72-115. Print.
Linda Fajardo
Professor Wanda Sabir
English 1A 10-10:50
16 September 2013
Bertha Butler, Mrs. Parks friend, heard of Parks arrest and ran to Nixon’s house to get help. Nixon attempted to gather information but was told, “None of your damn business.” Nixon emphasized that Parks was dedicated and he endured Mrs. Parks trust and resolve. According to Nixon, Mrs. Parks was a “real fighter” towards shite supremacy.
Nixon’s view, “the person could stand up under fire and remain courageous throughout the pressure of a long court fight”. Towards Montgomery’s black community, Mrs. Parks character and political experience made her a galvanizing figure. Mrs. Parks lives in a tight-knit community at the Cleveland Court projects as a solid working class.
Many people outside of the middle class related to Mrs. Parks life and situation. The essence of Mrs. Parks argument made her “one of the most respected people in the Negro community,” according to Dr. King. James Pierce states, “Rather unique” towards Mrs. Parks involvement in the church, civic League, and other voting registration efforts.
Michael March
Professor Sabir
15 September 2013
English 1A 11am
The Rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Chapter five in The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis covers the events after her historic stand on the bus. Although her stand against a severely unjust and biased society was ultimately a success, it would come at a price. One month after the bus stand, Parks was let go from her job at Montgomery Fair. Shortly after that, her husband, Raymond, was forbidden to speak about the current issues at work. In response to this, he quit his job as barber for the military. These events would be the beginning of an economic struggle that would last a decade. Parks likes to believe that the firing from her job was not part of the bus stand, as she explains,
“I cannot say this is true. I do not like to form in my mind something I do not have any proof of” (118).
This view, while further enforcing the type of person she was, is inaccurate. She was most definitely let go from Montgomery Fair for her stand.
With the future of one of the greatest proponents of the civil rights movement in peril, one would think that the community involved would come to her aid. In reality, almost the exact opposite happened. Many groups, including the NAACP, “…kept its distance from the boycott itself” (Theoharis 119). By June, at its national convention, the NAACP continued on with a similar sentiment,”we are not ready to take a position on [passive non-violent resistance]” (Theoharis 118). With the civil rights community, as a whole, now more interested in their own
Michael March
Professor Sabir
15 September 2013
English 1A 11am
The Rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
PART II
preservation and agendas, the originators such as Parks were left behind in a sense. She would ultimately be a victim of her own movement of sorts. Parks became known only for stand on the bus, not for her years of work prior, or the decades of work after. She was emblematized, for show and nothing more. She became only a face and her voice lost. Even long time companions and collaborators such as Edgar Nixon, seemed to be interested in only helping themselves. Nixon himself, later admitted,
“We had a whole lot of money at that time. And some of it we handled unwisely” (Theoharis 122).
The only help that trickled down to Rosa came from long time friend, Virginia Durr and later from Martin Luther King Junior. Regarding this situation, I believe Theoharis put it best stating,
“Fame even that imbued with the deepest admiration and respect- did not translate into security. People would honor her work and solicit her political participation, often without attending to her pressing economic needs” (120)
Amidst the economic strife and death threats, Rosa would be struck by another blow; she would develop insomnia, stomach ulcers, and a tumor in her throat. Raymond was not safe either, because of the tremendous stress layered upon both of them; Raymond would suffer a nervous breakdown. It was not long after this that several publications would run stories on her. One even describing her as a,
“tattered rag of her former self- penniless, debt- ridden, ailing with stomach ulcers and a throat tumor, compressed into two rooms with her husband and mother” (1 Theoharis 154).
The NAACP would finally respond, although it was more out of fear of tarnishing its image, rather than really helping Mrs. Parks. These articles, while not leading to permanent income, would cause more people to take notice and contribute. In 1963, Parks would be invited to come down to Washington, DC to take part in the march on Washington. On August 28, 1963, over two-hundred and fifty-thousand people would attend the march on Washington. Although invited, she was not asked to speak. She was merely introduced by a mere one-hundred and forty-two words; yet another slight against a person who had given so much to the civil rights movement. It didn’t seem to bother her any though, as Mabel Williams, the wife of Robert Williams, both of whom, were players in the civil rights movement would recall,
“I don’t think she was too concerned about that. However, people who were concerned about history were… A lot of the male chauvinism that went on, we talked about that. But she was bitter…she wasn’t fighting any way for credit” (Theoharis 162).
She may not have been fighting for it but she definitely deserved the credit.
Lawrence Cheung
English 1A 10:00-10:50AM
Professor Sabir
15 Sept 13
Rosa Parks defined and sculpted her self image one of the most memorable rebellious figures in the history of the nation in Chapter Four of "The Rebellious Life of Rosa Parks", by Jeanne Theoharis. Coming from backgrounds frequent collaborations with the community, Parks proved herself to be a great figure for the community. Theoharis proposes this, stating that Parks’s character and community experience made her a great figure in Montgomery’s black community (72). She was not only brought up from her self rebellion, but she was frequently involved with politics as well, signifying great morality through her political actions. Parks was woman of morals, setting an example for people nationwide, fighting for equality nationally.
Though all members of the NAACP were very active and dedicated to equality, it was Parks that stood as the most rebellious figure, due to her unbreakable inner morality and "innocence". To clarify, Theoharis quotes, "'After being escorted into city hall, Parks laughed to herself. “Who would have thought that little Rosa McCauley—whose friends teased her for being such a goody Two-shoes in her dainty white gloves—would ever become a convicted criminal, much less a subversive worthy of police apprehension, in the eyes of the state of Alabama?'" (74). Parks had been viewed as a very pure, innocent, "goody-two-shoes" of a sort; but Parks was not a simple criminal. Parks was a courageous rebel that stood firm on her beliefs of equality and her strong moral character. And as a result, with her political background, she became a great figure, almost a martyr, for freedom and equality.
Through this, Parks started the beginning of a great stride towards equality that has been growing all along. But now was the time to truly burst out of the shell of containment. Now she initiated the time to take rigorous action.
“God provided me with the strength I needed at the precise time when conditions were ripe for change,” Parks observed. This was not some lucky happenstance. Rosa Parks and her colleagues had labored for years to seed the ground for a movement to grow in Montgomery, and those efforts had made the conditions ripe for a movement. (77-78).
Parks was the great seed for change. Her deeds in the political sense created many boycotts and civil disobedience to come. Her actions bloomed the sapling that was already seeding for so long. It was the spring. Parks was the shine and rain; now the time was ripe for the movement to bloom.
Taylor Byias
Professor Sabir
English 1A 8:00-8:50
15 September 2013
Rosa Parks Summary Rosa Parks Summary
In Jeanne Theoharis The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Theoharis delves deeper into the character of Rosa Parks and the beginnings and aftermath of her struggle. In chapter 6, Theoharis explains the struggles of Rosa Parks and other Civil Rights leaders in the North. Theoharis shows this through her many sources, as they discuss fighting for equal rights in the North: “ The racial hierarchy and social systems had left many Blacks stuck in an never ending cycle of poverty.” (166) Theoharis acknowledges that the fight for freedom and equality wasn't over for Rosa Parks.
African Americans in the North often showed their dissatisfaction through peaceful protest, yet sometimes nonviolence didn't cut it. In 1967, in Virginia Park, where the Parks’s lived, police raided an illegal after hours bar and began arresting citizens. The number of patrons began to swell, as did their anger. Both parties retaliated in violence and mayhem. Federal help was requested, and the President sent troops to stop the riot. John Conyers and others tried to calm down the angry crowd, but to no avail. Conyers believed: “‘...People were letting feelings out that had never been let out before, that had been bottled up...It was the whole desperate situation of being black in Detroit.’”(194) At the end of the riot, about 40 people were killed, and many more were injured. The city of Detroit would be scarred forever.
In the 1960’s Michigan redrew their congressional district lines, allowing more blacks to be represented in Congress. A young black attorney, John Conyers Jr., decided to run for Congress, against a white incumbent and black Democrat Richard Austin. Rosa Parks supported Conyers run. After Conyers victory, Rosa was hired to answer phones in Conyers’ Detroit office. Many Detroiters were against it, calling Rosa Parks a “troublemaker” and a Communist.
“We don't think John Conyers should be hiring a person of your low caliber Rosa, to work in his office. Maybe in his private home for purpose of scrubbing the floors as a domestic maid, perhaps-but certainly not doing office work….John Conyers is a bad enough senator as it is, without his adding fuel to the fire by hiring an evil dame in his office to help him. Your two brains probably dig up plenty of bad ideas to bug us law abiding serious minded hardworking taxpayers.” (184)
Ernest Blackmon
Professor Sabir
English 1A 11-11:50
17 September 2013
Chapter 3 Summary “The Rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks”
Montgomery had many histories of bus resistance. The African American society has been pushed as far as they can possibly stand to be punished. There were many colored citizens who refused to surrender to the bus segregation rules: Geneva Johnson, Hilliard Brooks, Edwina and Marshall Johnson all refused to obey the bus segregation rules that were recorded by Jeanne Theoharis. However there were some who endured brutalities and malice when they resisted: Epsie Worthy, Jo Ann Robinson, and Claudette Colvin. Families were separated, due to arrests of family members on buses. Many fought back and resisted until the bitter end of being locked in the jail cell or worse. Rosa Parks wasn’t the first to resist arrest and wasn’t the hurt the most either but she endured the struggle to fight the longest “Most people had been mistreated, some even worse than [me]” (47).
Rosa Parks got on the bus unintended of protesting, she was just trying to head home on a long day, from working for the white man. She finally refused to remove and demanded respect. Fully aware she could be arrested or worse she was done with their disrespect and was going to do something about it personally. “If I did not resist being mistreated, then I would spend the rest of my life being mistreated.”(64)
Roberto Urias
Professor Sabir
English 1A 11-11:50
17 September 2013
Chapter 4 Summary “The Rebellious life of Mrs. Rosa Parks”
In Jeanne Theoharis “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” Chapter four: There lived a Great People, she explores the incidents that led to Montgomery Bus Boycott on December 1955. When it comes to this time period of segregation, most of us will readily agree that racial inequality was not entirely fair to the African American community. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of how the government treated its people on this time period. Whereas the black community were afraid to fight for their rights, while others joined the NAACP to fight for their equal rights.
The incident that initially started the Bus Boycott in December 1955, was Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks being “middle-aged, trusted and demure, and while not economically middle class or college educated, but had class and was looked as an lady by the African American community” (73). Rosa Parks became the symbol and reason for the Bus Boycott to fight for their rights and Parks freedom.
Saleena Carpenter
Professor Sabir
English 1A 10-10:50am
14 September 2013
Chapter 5 summary
Struggles of a Hero
Chapter 5 of Jeanne Theoharis's "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks" recounts all that Rosa Parks relinquished to be a revolutionary in the Civil Rights Movement. Mrs. Parks sacrificed her job and finances, her friends and her family. The added responsibilty of volunteering to deliver speeches, distribute food and clothes, attend meetings and traveling for the National Association for Colored People (NAACP) and MIA. To have lost her job, to only be volunteering and unable to receive help made it hard to provide for her family: "No civil rights group -- not the NAACP she had worked for over the past decade nor the MIA she helped create -- felt primarily responsible for Park's imperiled situation, even though she fundraised for both during the year of the boycott (114).
Besides Mrs. Parks financial predicament chapter 5 also focuses on her travels and her experiences meeting other African American civil rights activist. After returning to Highlander to speak at a workshop Mrs. Parks spoke on how the city changed because of the boycott and how her taking a stand and refusing to give up her seat impacted the movement, even though Nixon thought of it as a "very little thing."
Being asked to give up her seat was "too much....it meant that I didn't have a right to do anything but get on the bus, give them my fare then be pushed wherever they wanted me." She also highlighted how others in Montgomery "had experienced something of the same" humiliating treatment that spurred the protest (127).
This shows the connection and sympathy that Mrs. Parks had with African Americans struggling for they rights and equal treatment. She took her first flight to Detroit raising money for MIA I'm multiple churches and spoke to the Local 600,"a militant Detroit UAW local. " Mrs. Parks spoke at NAACP events in Seattle, Los Angeles, Indiana, Pittsburgh and New York. During her visit to New York she spoke to the crowd at the "Heroes of the South" event, where she was awarded her first plaque from the "Committee for Better Human Relations."
The last sacrifice but definitely not the least was Rosa Parks health. She contracted ulcers and insomnia because of financial trouble, public surveillance and constant life threats but she did not let it stop her from continuing to speak for the Civil Rights Movement. "Parks publicly urged perseverance. "... she promised to "continue in every way I can" and urged people not to "give up faith, and one day we will have the Democracy we are hoping for (134 Jeanne Theoharis)." On June 19, 1956 the boycott ended. The U.S Court for the Middle District of Alabama ended the "seperate but equal" doctrine. Rosa Parks continued to travel to build the membership for the NAACP. She still struggled in Alabama with no job, her health and still recieving threatening hate calls. Unable to get a job with MIA she remove herself from their project and with the growing strain on her health and constant calls Mrs. Parks decided to leave Alabama for Detroit. There she found a job, then moved to Hampton but moved back to Detroit and back to financial hardship. Mrs. Parks and her family continued to struggle to be economically stable but her health was back on track and that would soon change. As a civil rights figure she was asked to attend many events including the March on Washington; Mrs. Parks had also received many plaques and awards. She eventually ended up in a good place, starting to end her economic dilemma.
Works cited
1. Theoharis, Jeanne. "Chapter 5." The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Boston: Beacon, 2013. 116-64. Print.
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