On December 1, 1955, a soft-spoken African-American seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man, as dictated by existing segregation laws. She was neither the first African American, nor the first woman to challenge the segregation laws within a public transportation system. But her flawless character, her quiet strength, and her moral fortitude caused her act to successfully ignite action in others.

This simple, courageous act of protest by Rosa Parks started a fire in the hearts of African Americans everywhere. It led to an immediate city-wide bus boycott and, for this reason, the act by Rosa Parks is considered by many to be the event that sparked the Civil Rights movement. The arrest of Rosa Parks and the resulting bus boycott also led to the meteoric rise of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., as the widely recognized leader of this movement. Over time, Rosa Parks came to be known internationally as a symbol for human rights.