The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks An Act of Courage The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks

The Overview On December 1, 1955, during a typical evening rush hour in Montgomery, Alabama, a 42-year-old woman took a seat on the bus on her way home from the Montgomery Fair department store where she worked as a seamstress. She sat in the black section of the bus, just like she was supposed to. But before she reached her destination, she quietly set off a social revolution that would change the South, the laws of the nation, and the mindset of an entire nation.

The Problem On the city buses of Montgomery, Alabama, the front 10 seats were permanently reserved for white passengers. Mrs. Parks was seated in the first row behind those 10 seats – the black section of the bus. But, when the bus became crowded, the bus driver instructed Mrs. Parks and the other three passengers seated in that row, all African Americans, to vacate their seats for the white passengers boarding. Everybody - every black body – was expected to get out of that row of seats so that just one white man could sit there. Eventually, three of the passengers moved, while Mrs. Parks remained seated, arguing that she was not in a seat reserved for whites.

Illustration of Bus Where Rosa Parks Sat Dividing Line

The Laws of the South Joseph Blake, the driver, believed he had the right to move the line separating black and white passengers. So, when Mrs. Parks defied his order, he called the police. Officers Day and Mixon came and promptly arrested her. Rosa Parks, an African American, was arrested that day for violating a city law requiring racial segregation of public buses.

Fingerprint Card: Rosa Parks

The Arrest In police custody, Mrs. Parks was booked, fingerprinted, and briefly jailed. The police report shows that she was charged with "refusing to obey orders of bus driver." But there was more to worry about than just being arrested. For openly challenging the racial laws of her city, she (and her family!) remained at great physical risk while held by the police. Her family was terrified for her. When she called home, she spoke to her mother, whose first question was "Did they beat you?"

Police Report: December 1, 1955 (p.1)

Police Report: December 1, 1955 (p.2)

The Impact Rosa Parks was certainly not the first person to be arrested for breaking the racial segregation laws on the city buses in Montgomery. But she was a woman who was respected by her community. Her arrest became a rallying point and was used as an example. After her arrest, the African American community organized a bus boycott to protest racial discrimination. Martin Luther King, Jr., the 26-year-old minister of the local Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, emerged as a leader during the peaceful boycott that lasted 381 days. (That’s over a year!) It captured the world's attention.

The Outcome After Mrs. Parks was convicted under city law, her lawyer filed an appeal. While her appeal was tied up in the state court, the U.S. District Court ruled in another case (Browder v. Gayle ) that racial segregation of public buses was unconstitutional. Thanks to the bus boycott, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., first became famous as he gave speeches and led a successful non-violent protest, a method he would continue to use. And for a quiet act of defiance that resonated throughout the world, Rosa Parks is known and revered as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement."

I Heard it on the Bus One Day I drive the bus every day. Are you getting on or not? Get to the back of the bus. I ride the bus every day. I get on and pay. I move to the back.

I Heard it on the Bus One Day I was driving And this woman I tell her to get up and let a white man sit. She doesn’t move. That’s when it all started. One day I was riding And this sister She doesn’t move. That’s when it all started.

I Heard it on the Bus One Day Montgomery, Alabama That Black preacher started trouble. We waited. And screamed and yelled. 381 days. Holt Street Baptist Church Montgomery, Alabama Martin Luther King, Jr. started The Movement. We walked. And walked and walked. 381days.

I Heard it on the Bus One Day They made us integrate but we weren’t done yet. And that’s how it all started. Refusing to obey. They made us protest To keep our dignity. And that’s how it all started. Refusing to obey. - By Jeff Sapp