1. What did Rosa Parks do on December 1, 1955?
“Parks was seated next to a man in the front of the section designated for blacks,when a white male got on and looked for a seat. In such situations, the black section was made smaller. The driver, who was white, requested that the four blacks move. The others complied, but Parks refused to surrender her seat, so the driver called the police. Parks had been evicted from a bus twelve years earlier by the same driver.”(Hill)
After Parks arrest Martin Luther King made copies of a flier advertising the boycott.
“The boycott of Montgomery's city buses was almost universal on December 5, “(Black History)
African Americans made up about 75 percent of the riders in Montgomery

2. How do various cultures reward or recognize their heroes?
“After her death, her casket was placed in the rotunda of the United States Capitol. She was the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol, an honor typically reserved only for U.S. presidents.” (Intro to discrimination)
“Rosa Parks Peace Prize; honored with Day of Recognition by Wayne County Commission; International Freedom Conductor Award, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 1998; Detroit-Windsor International Freedom Festival Freedom Award, 1999; U.S. Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, 1999; Governor's Medal of Honor for Extraordinary Courage, Alabama, 2000; lain in state in the Capitol Rotunda, 2005.”(Black History)

3. How does a hero represent his/her time period and geographical area?
Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama
“As she grew up, Rosa was shunted into second-rate all-black schools, such as the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls, and she faced daily rounds of laws governing her behavior in public places.“(Black History)
“Rosa Parks said,“I'd see the bus pass every day,” she said. “But to me, that was a way of life; we had no choice but to accept what was the custom. The bus was among the first ways I realized there was a black world and a white world.”” (Rosa Parks Bus)

4. How did my hero influence others through her life?
Parks refusal to give up her seat influenced Dr. Martin Luther King to lead the Montgomery boycott
“The bus incident led to the formation of the Montgomery Improvement Association, led by the young pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The association called for a boycott of the city-owned bus company. “(Rosa Parks Bibliography)
“Her crowning achievement, however, is the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, which she founded in Detroit. The institute offers career training for 12- to 18-year-olds with special attention to education and motivation. "Too many young people are not staying in school and taking advantage of the opportunities they have," Parks told Ebony. “(Black History)

5. How do the setting, conflicts, and antagonists influence the development your hero?
“Parks achieved two things that were very difficult for blacks at the time particularly black women: She finished high school and she registered to vote. She did this in spite of the Jim Crow laws that made voting extremely difficult for blacks.” (Intro to discrimination)
“In the early 1900s, most southern states enacted Jim Crow laws named for a minstrel show character requiring separate facilities for blacks and whites. There were innumerable laws requiring separate railroad cars, waiting rooms, bathrooms, restaurants, parks, beaches, schools, prisons, and many other "separate but equal" facilities.”(Intro to discrim)
“Rosa always detested having to drink from special water fountains and having to forgo lunch at the whites-only restaurants downtown”(Black HIstory)

6. How does a hero reflect his/her particular culture and society?
“Mrs. Parks recalled in an interview, "we didn't have any civil rights. It was just a matter of survival, of existing from one day to the next. I remember going to sleep as a girl hearing the Klan ride at night and hearing a lynching and being afraid the house would burn down." In the same interview, she cited her lifelong acquaintance with fear as the reason for her relative fearlessness in deciding to appeal her conviction during the bus boycott. "I didn't have any special fear," she said. "It was more of a relief to know that I wasn't alone.””(Rosa Parks Bibliography)
“Rosa Parks was no stranger to white intimidation. Like many other Southern blacks, she often boycotted the public facilities marked "Colored," walking up stairs rather than taking elevators, for instance. She had a special distaste for the city's public transportation, as did many of her fellow black citizens.”(Black History)

7. What sacrifices did Rosa Parks face?
“Parks was arrested and sent to jail. She was later released on a $100 bond, and her trial was scheduled for December 5.” (Hill)
“It is not necessarily easy to be a living legend, however. Parks and her family received numerous threats and almost constant telephone harassment. The strain actually caused Raymond Parks to suffer a nervous breakdown. In 1957 Rosa and Raymond Parks (and Rosa's mother) moved north to Detroit, Michigan.” (Black History)

8. What did Rosa Parks want to change in the world?
"I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people." Rosa Parks, 1990 (Intro to discrim.)
“The couple both held jobs and enjoyed a modest degree of prosperity. In her spare time, Mrs. Parks became active in the NAACP and the Montgomery Voters League, a group that helped blacks to pass a special test so they could register to vote.” (Black History)

9. Does everyone consider Rosa Parks a hero?
Her act of defiance began a movement that ended legal segregation in America, and made her an inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere. (Rosa Parks bibliography)
The police officers asked the driver if he wanted to swear out a warrant or if he wanted them to let Rosa Parks go with a warning. The driver said he wanted to swear out a warrant. (Black History)

10. How do we define the personality traits of a hero?
Courage, strength (How to be great!)
Isn’t a coward and a quitter (How to be great!)
Heroes maintain their composure and even thrive under adversity (How to be great!)