The hidden life of Rosa Parks Riche D. Richardson
In 1944, 11 years before her fateful
decision on a Montgomery Bus,
Rosa Parks was investigating
a vicious crime.
As an emissary for
the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People,
she had traveled to rural Alabama
to meet with Recy Taylor,
a young woman who had been
sexually assaulted by six white men.
It would be difficult enough to convince
an Alabama court
that even one of these men was guilty,
but Rosa was undeterred.
She formed a committee to defend
Recy in court,
flooding the media with testimony
and sparking protests
throughout the South.
When a jury failed
to indict the attackers,
Parks demanded the governor
assemble a new grand jury.
She wrote, “I know that you will not fail
to let the people of Alabama know
that there is equal justice
for all of our citizens.”
Throughout her life, Parks repeatedly
challenged racial violence
and the prejudiced systems
protecting its perpetrators.
But this work came at an enormous risk—
and a personal price.
Born in 1913, Rosa was raised by her
mother and grandparents in rural Alabama.
But outside this loving home, the fear
of racial violence cast a long shadow.
The Ku Klux Klan frequently
drove past their home,
and Jim Crow laws
segregated public spaces.
At 19 she settled in Montgomery
and married Raymond Parks,
a barber who shared her growing fury
at racial injustice.
He was involved with the local chapter
of the NAACP;
a role many avoided
for fear of persecution.
At first Raymond was eager
to keep Rosa safe
from the potential dangers of activism.
But as she grew more incensed at the
limitations imposed on African Americans,
she could no longer stand by.
When she officially joined
the NAACP in 1943,
Parks and Johnnie Rebecca Carr were
the only women in the Montgomery chapter.
She began keeping minutes
for their meetings,
and soon found herself elected
secretary of the chapter—
formally beginning her secret double life.
By day, Rosa worked as a seamstress
to support her mother and husband.
By night, she researched and documented
numerous civil rights cases,
from local policy disputes to high-profile
murder cases and hate crimes.
As secretary, she prepared public
responses
on behalf of the Montgomery chapter,
battling the harsh sentencing,
false accusation and smear campaigns
frequently used against African Americans.
In addition to her legal work, Parks
was a brilliant local strategist.
As advisor to the NAACP
youth group council,
she helped young people navigate
segregated systems
including voter registration and
whites-only libraries.
Through the cover of the NAACP,
Parks strived to bring clandestine
civil rights activities into the open.
She advocated for civil disobedience
training
and spoke out against racial violence,
particularly the murder of Emmet Till.
In 1955, her refusal to move
to the back of a segregated bus
helped ignite the grassroots movement
she had hoped for.
Parks was arrested and jailed
for her one-woman protest,
where she was visited by local activists.
Together they planned a twenty-four
hour bus boycott.
It lasted for three hundred
and eighty-one days.
Park’s simple act had transformed
nascent civil rights activism
into a national movement.
In 1956, the boycott ended
when the Supreme Court
ruled in favor of desegregating
public transport.
But this victory for the movement
had come at a great cost.
Rosa had been receiving vicious death
threats throughout the campaign,
and was unable to find work in Montgomery
because of her political reputation.
In 1957, she moved to Detroit
to continue working as a seamstress,
until being hired by Congressman
John Conyers
to help support his burgeoning
civil rights campaigns.
Ever vigilant in the fight against racial
inequality,
Parks remained active
for the next 40 years.
She wrote several books,
traveled across the country giving talks
to support other activists,
and established an institute
for the education of young people
in her late husband’s memory.
Today, Rosa Parks is remembered
as a radical spirit
who railed against the most powerful
people and policies.
Her call to action continues to resound:
“knowing what must be done
does away with fear.”