“A long time ago I decided to be a free person and not give in to fear. I always thought it was my right to defend myself if I could." Rosa once stated (Huso 3.) Rosa Parks was a heroine in the fight for civil rights. Parks was known as the "Mother of the Movement" in the civil rights movement. She was an active member of the National Assn. for the advancement of colored people. She was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on an Alabama bus. Shortly after she was jailed and fined for her refusal to leave her seat, African Americans went on strike and boycotted Montgomery's public transportation system, virtually bankrupting the company. It was called The Montgomery Boycott. Rosa said, “After so many years of oppression and being the victim of mistreatment from my people, not giving up my place – and whatever I had to go through after not giving up my place – was not important” (Huso 6). A white man got on the bus and the white section was full. Rosa Parks and three other African Americans were told to stand up and stand so that the front seats of the colored section could be added to the white section, so that the The other three obeyed. Rosa refused to move. She remained calm and defended herself as her grandfather had taught her incredibly courageous in standing up for herself and her race. She helped the civil rights movement and started a whole new level in the movement after she was arrested. Rosa Parks was a member of the NAACP and they released her from jail on bail and then made her a plaintiff in their lawsuit for their fight for... middle of paper...). Rosa had self-respect and knew the difference between right and wrong. The way his race was treated was wrong and he knew something had to be done. And if no one else took a stand, simply by not standing up at all, then it would be her. Works Cited Huso, Deborah. “Sitting down to take a stand: Rosa Parks' actions advanced the civil rights struggle.” Success September 2011: 82+. General OneFile. Network. April 30, 2014 “Rosa Parks”. UXL Biographies. Detroit: U*X*L, 2011. Student Resources in Context. Network. May 22, 2014. More stable, Scott. "Parks, Rosa (1913—)." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. vol. 4. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 15-16. Student resources in context. Network. May 22, 2014.Woo, Elaine. “Rosa Parks: 1913-2005.” Los Angeles, California): A1+. 2005. LORDS Renaissance. Network. April 30. 2014