Rosa’s Hard Life By: Molly May & Maeve Flanigan

Rosa is a great person. She had a hard life because she is black and she lived in a time of hatefulness.

Rosa’s Yong Life Rosa was born on February 4,1913 in Tuskegee Alabama. She was born when black people did not get treated fairly. Her parents were divorced and she moved a lot. She picked cotton on the farm with her grandparents.

Rosa’s school life Rosa had school in a one room school house. The school had many children organized by age. Then she went to Miss White’s school for black girls. Black girls went to that school because they got treated fairly by a white person. She went to Booker T Washington Junior High and Alabama State Teachers College for Negros.

Rosa’s Family Life Rosa’s family always told her that she was as good as anyone else. Her family always came first and she took care of people in her family. Rosa got married to Raymond Parks in December 1932.

Rosa’s Work Life Rosa went to work for the NAACP because Raymond worked for the NAACP. Rosa hated what the white people were doing to the black people.

Rosa’s Brave Life During this time, white people got to sit in the front of the bus so they could get off first. The black people had to move if a white person wanted their seat. On December 1, 1955 Rosa didn’t give up her seat on the bus because she wanted her rights. She got put in jail. All the blacks gathered in a big church and decided to start a boycott. They stopped riding all busses for 1 year and 15 days. That led to the law getting changed that the blacks and whites could ride together and sit anywhere they wanted on the bus.

Rosa is a very brave person. She encouraged other black people to stand up for themselves. She founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for self development. Cleveland Avenue in Montgomery was renamed Rosa Parks Boulevard because that was the street the bus rode on when she stood up for her rights.

I wonder if black people would still be treated unfairly if Rosa had not stood up for her rights? We hope that you always stand up for what you believe in no matter what just like Rosa did!