They Walked To Freedom 1955-1956: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

In the early 1950s, Rosa Parks-who was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, and worked as a seamstress most of her life- became active in the American Civil Rights Movement and worked as a secretary for the Montgomery branch of the NAACP. She also attended the Highlander Folk School, an education center for workers' rights and racial equality. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Parks refused to obey a public bus driver's orders to give up her seat in the "colored" section of the bus to a white man. She was arrested, tried, and convicted for disorderly conduct. Partially in response to her arrest, Martin Luther King, Jr., then a relatively unknown Baptist minister, led the yearlong Montgomery bus boycott, which forced the public transportation authority to end the practice of racial segregation on public buses. This event helped spark many other protests against segregation. Meanwhile, in 1956, Parks's case ultimately resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that segregated bus service was unconstitutional. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' brave act of civil disobedience. The Montgomery Advertiser presents a tribute to Ms. Parks and the impact her stand against inequality had on civil rights, illustrated with rich stories and stunning photos from the archives of the Advertiser.