Did you know that when Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat, she was sitting in the African-American section? Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist who worked with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) to change the rights of African Americans. She was born February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. She went to college at Alabama State Teachers College. After college, she became secretary of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP. “She trained in nonviolent methods of social activism and was therefore well prepared for her historic role” (Matthews). Rosa Parks' actions were important because they would change the course of African American history. “Rosa Parks was small as a child and suffered from poor health with chronic tonsillitis. Her parents separated when she was young, so she and her mother moved to Pine Level, just outside the capital of Montgomery. There she grew up with her grandparents and mother on a farm” (Matthews). “She experienced a lot of racial discrimination on the farm, like the time her grandfather stood on the porch with a shotgun while the Klu Klux Klan marched down their street” (Wikipedia). “Rosa Parks and her family were also members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, an ancient independent black denomination founded by free blacks in Philadelphia in the early 19th century. Parks attended the Alabama State Teachers College for Negroes for secondary education, but she later dropped out to care for her mother and grandmother when they became ill. She married Raymond Parks in 1932; both were active in civic affairs. Earning a living as a seamstress, she served as secretary of the Montgomery branch of the NAACP” (Matthews). "O...... middle of paper ...... can by sparking the civil rights movement. It was her anti-bus protest and the boycott she participated in that made her so famous. Even after the bus protest and boycott, Parks continued to inspire, such as with her book she wrote about her life experiences. Rosas' death was tragic for all Americans because she had played a very important role in the United States, helping to change the lives of many people and changing the future of our society. Works Cited Matthews, Glenna. Parks, Rosa McCauley. December 1, 2000. April 23, 2014. Ragghianti, Marie. nd .Wikipedia. April 28, 2014. May 14 2014 .