Tuskegee, Alabama (February 4, 1913- October 24, 2005) Age 92 yrs

Rosa Parks, born Rosa Louise McCauley Parks, was an African American civil rights activist. She served as the secretary of the Montgomery Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She was also a seamstress. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. As a result, she was arrested. At the time, African Americans were not hired as drivers. They were forced to ride in the back of the bus. African Americans were often ordered to surrender their seats to white people. This occurred even though black passengers made up 75% of the bus system’s riders. Blacks were treated as second class citizens. They regularly faced racism, discrimination, and violence simply because of the color of their skin. Parks arrest led to a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system. The service was nearly crippled because the majority of its riders were Black. The protest had wide-ranging effects. Parks died in 2005 at the age of 92. She was the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capital Rotunda.