Page 2
Main Page	ROSA LOUISE PARKS            Biography Continued He was a self educated person with the assistance of his mother, Geri Parks. His immaculate dress and his thorough knowledge of domestic affairs and current events made most think he was college educated. He supported and encouraged Rosa’s desire to complete her formal education. Mr. Parks was an early activist in the effort to free the “Scottsboro Boys,” a celebrated case in the 1930’s. Together, Raymond and Rosa worked in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) programs. He was an active member and she served as secretary and later youth leader of the local branch. At the time of her arrest, she was preparing for a major youth conference. After the arrest of Rosa Parks, black People of Montgomery and sympathizers of other races organized and promoted a boycott of the city bus line that lasted 381 days. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, was appointed the spokesperson for the Bus Boycott and taught nonviolence to all participants. Contingent with the protest in      Montgomery, others took shape throughout the south and the      country. They took form as sit-ins, eat-ins, swim-in and similar      causes. Thousands of courageous people      joined the protest’ to demand equal rights for all people. Mrs. Parks      was employed by Congressman John Conyers, First Congressional      District of Michigan, from 1965 to 1988. In February, 1987, she      co-founded Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development      with Ms. Elaine Eason Steele in honor of her late husband. The      purpose is to motivate and direct the “average” youth not targeted by      other programs to achieve their highest potential. Rosa Parks sees the      energy of young people as a real force for change.      It is among her most treasured themes of human priorities as she       speaks to young people of all ages at schools, colleges, and national      organizations around the world.                                                Mrs. Parks has received numerous honorary doctorate degrees,      including one from Soka University, Tokyo, Japan, hundreds of      plaques, certificates, citations, awards, and keys to many cities.
		Go To Page 3