Sarah Keys Evans was a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement and a pioneer in the fight against racial segregation. In 1952, while serving as a private in the Women's Army Corps, Keys was traveling from her home in North Carolina to her duty station in Fort Dix, New Jersey. During her journey, Keys boarded a bus in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and took an empty seat near the front of the bus, which was designated for white passengers only.

When the bus driver demanded that she move to the back of the bus, Keys refused, citing a recent federal regulation desegregating buses used in interstate commerce. The driver called the police, and Keys was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

Keys fought the charge with the help of the NAACP and Thurgood Marshall, who was then the chief counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. In 1955, a federal court ruled in Keys' favor, declaring that segregation on interstate buses was unconstitutional.

Sarah Keys' courageous stand and legal victory played a significant role in paving the way for the Civil Rights Movement and the eventual desegregation of public transportation in the United States. Her case also inspired other activists to challenge segregation laws and practices in various aspects of society.