Rosa Parks: The Montgomery Civil Rights Movement
On December 1st, 1955, the civil rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama began. Rosa Parks became the first African American female civil rights activist when she was arrested for refusing to give up her set to a to a white person on the bus (Theoharis, 2013). In the 1950’s, African Americans were experiencing prejudice, through the acts of racism. Bordens & Horowitz (2002) defines racism as a negative evaluation that is based on the color of their skin. As a young woman growing up, Rosa experienced segregation in her life and was taught that this was the way of life. Rosa was brought up by her grandparents. Theoharis (2013) explains how her grandfather stayed alert due to the Ku Klux Klan protesting threats to poor African American families
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For example, Rosa informed her grandmother at an early age that she would rather die than to be mistreated and not be able to speak her mind (Theoharis, 2013). Rosa changed the mindset that she was taught to have by her grandparents, in order to protect herself from the outcomes of racism. This type of compensation is called secondary compensation, which was used due to her use of primary compensation being ineffective (Bordens & Horowitz, 2002). For example, before the Montgomery bus boycott, Rosa had plans to change the segregated systems and protest with other activists (Theoharis, 2013). However, because she was a woman, Rosa’s ideas were rarely recognized when compared to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Fortunate enough for the Montgomery community, Rosa did not let that stop her. Years later, her primary compensation prevailed when was eager to draw a line through the segregation laws when she declined to give up her set on the bus. This action lead her voice to be heard and she continued her journey for equal civil rights change on a national level beyond her community of Montgomery, Alabama (Theoharis, 2013). Rosa Parks is truly an influenential female figure that stepped outside of the norms to make a difference in the
For example, Rosa informed her grandmother at an early age that she would rather die than to be mistreated and not be able to speak her mind (Theoharis, 2013). Rosa changed the mindset that she was taught to have by her grandparents, in order to protect herself from the outcomes of racism. This type of compensation is called secondary compensation, which was used due to her use of primary compensation being ineffective (Bordens & Horowitz, 2002). For example, before the Montgomery bus boycott, Rosa had plans to change the segregated systems and protest with other activists (Theoharis, 2013). However, because she was a woman, Rosa’s ideas were rarely recognized when compared to Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Fortunate enough for the Montgomery community, Rosa did not let that stop her. Years later, her primary compensation prevailed when was eager to draw a line through the segregation laws when she declined to give up her set on the bus. This action lead her voice to be heard and she continued her journey for equal civil rights change on a national level beyond her community of Montgomery, Alabama (Theoharis, 2013). Rosa Parks is truly an influenential female figure that stepped outside of the norms to make a difference in the