Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the American civil rights movement. She is best known for her courageous act of defiance on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest for this act of civil disobedience sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Parks' act of defiance led to a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system, which eventually resulted in a Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation on public buses unconstitutional. Rosa Parks' actions and the Montgomery Bus Boycott brought international attention to the civil rights movement and helped pave the way for future nonviolent protests and demonstrations that would lead to significant strides in the fight for racial equality in America.

Throughout her life, Rosa Parks continued to be an influential figure in the civil rights movement, working alongside other activists to advocate for equality and justice for African Americans. She received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the civil rights movement and is remembered as an iconic figure in Black history.