# data[].attributes.headline
A. Philip Randolph was a strong leader who fought for the rights of Black workers.

# data[].attributes.subject
A. Philip Randolph was a strong leader who fought for the rights of Black workers.

# data[].attributes.body
"A. Philip Randolph." PebbleGo, Capstone, 9 Dec. 2024, www.pebblego.com.

# data[].attributes.headline
John Lewis was a young leader who marched and protested for equal rights. He was a brave voice for change.

# data[].attributes.subject
John Lewis was a young leader who marched and protested for equal rights. He was a brave voice for change.

# data[].attributes.headline
Thurgood Marshall was a great lawyer who fought to end segregation in schools.

# data[].attributes.subject
Thurgood Marshall was a great lawyer who fought to end segregation in schools.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ruby Bridges was a brave little girl who went to school with white kids, even though it was dangerous.

# data[].attributes.subject
Ruby Bridges was a brave little girl who went to school with white kids, even though it was dangerous.

# data[].attributes.headline
Diane Nash was a young leader who helped organize peaceful protests and sit-ins.

# data[].attributes.subject
Diane Nash was a young leader who helped organize peaceful protests and sit-ins.

# data[].attributes.headline
Medgar Evers was a brave man who fought for voting rights for Black people in Mississippi.

# data[].attributes.subject
Medgar Evers was a brave man who fought for voting rights for Black people in Mississippi.

# data[].attributes.headline
Rosa Parks was a courageous woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person, sparking a big change.

# data[].attributes.subject
Rosa Parks was a courageous woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person, sparking a big change.

# data[].attributes.headline
Martin Luther King Jr. was a kind and brave leader who wanted everyone to be treated equally. He used peaceful protests to fight for fairness.

# data[].attributes.subject
Martin Luther King Jr. was a kind and brave leader who wanted everyone to be treated equally. He used peaceful protests to fight for fairness.

# data[].attributes.body
"John Lewis." PebbleGo, Capstone, 9 Dec. 2024, www.pebblego.com.

# data[].attributes.body
"A. Philip Randolph." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/A-Philip-Randolph/628644. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to Britannica School, a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School.

# data[].attributes.body
"John Lewis." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/John-Lewis/628642. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to Britannica School, a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School.

# data[].attributes.body
"Diane Nash." PebbleGo, Capstone, 9 Dec. 2024, www.pebblego.com.

# data[].attributes.body
"Rosa Parks." PebbleGo, Capstone, 9 Dec. 2024, www.pebblego.com.

# data[].attributes.body
Jones-Radgowski, Jehan. "John Lewis." Capstone, 2024, bookplayer.pebblego.com/book/9781663972774. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.body
"Thurgood Marshall." PebbleGo, Capstone, 9 Dec. 2024, www.pebblego.com.

# data[].attributes.body
"Ruby Bridges." PebbleGo, Capstone, 9 Dec. 2024, www.pebblego.com.

# data[].attributes.body
"Medgar Evers." PebbleGo, Capstone, 9 Dec. 2024, www.pebblego.com.

# data[].attributes.body
"Martin Luther King Jr.." PebbleGo, Capstone, 9 Dec. 2024, www.pebblego.com.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Growing up in the South during a time when Black people did not have the same rights as white people, John Lewis faced racial discrimination-and he did not like it. He fought for equality during the civil rights movement, marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., against oppression and risking his life for justice. Through grit and determination, he went from sitting on bus seats as an act of civil disobedience during the Freedom Rides to sitting in the halls of Congress as a champion for civil liberties.

Lewis was born on February 21, 1940, in rural Alabama. His parents were sharecroppers who worked on a farm picking cotton for landowners. As a young boy, Lewis also picked cotton and did other farm duties with his family. It was hard work, but he enjoyed being with the chickens. Lewis wanted to be a pastor, so he would preach to his feathered flock in the chicken coop while tending to the hens and counting their eggs. His inspiration was King, whose words Lewis listened to on the radio.

Lewis studied at the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville and helped organize lunch sit-ins against segregated restaurants, where Black and white people could not eat together, Sometimes he'd be arrested for his actions, but Lewis accepted being thrown in jail for fighting for what is right, or "good trouble," as he'd later call it. For instance, he was one of 13 original Freedom Riders, who travelled by bus to test laws that were supposed to protect Black people. But he was beaten and jailed several times on his journey.

Lewis's most memorable act of "good trouble" occurred on March 7, 1965, when he led a group of 600 people across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on what would be known as "Bloody Sunday."

Lewis, who was then only 25 years old, marched across the bridge in the fight for equal voting rights for Black people. In his bag he carried just a toothbrush, toothpaste, two books, an orange, and an apple. But he and the other peaceful protesters were met by police officers carrying batons. The police fired tear gas onto the crowd and attacked them, leaving many bloody and wounded. Lewis was knocked unconscious.

The events of Bloody Sunday were caught on camera and televised to the country. They attracted more protests. King joined Lewis and thousands of other protesters to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Their efforts eventually led to the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed the discriminatory practices that prevented many Black Americans from voting.

Lewis eventually became a congressman from Georgia in 1987, serving until his death from pancreatic cancer at the age of 80 on July 17, 2020. During his time in Congress he continued his work for civil rights and encouraged young people do the hard work necessary to change the country by getting into "good trouble."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How this congressman used 'good trouble' to fight for civil rights

# data[].attributes.body
"Medgar Evers." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/Medgar-Evers/399961. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enter the Access ID and Passcode provided by your school to access Britannica School.

# data[].attributes.body
"Diane Nash." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/Diane-Nash/632838. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enter the Access ID and Passcode provided by your school to access Britannica School.

# data[].attributes.body
"Ruby Bridges." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/Ruby-Bridges/487557. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
NEW! ASK Britannica... YOUR QUESTIONS. OUR ANSWERS, POWERED BY AI.

# data[].attributes.body
"Thurgood Marshall." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/Thurgood-Marshall/353436. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enter the Access ID and Passcode provided by your school to access Britannica School.

# data[].attributes.body
"Rosa Parks." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/Rosa-Parks/399859. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to Britannica School , a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for Elementary, Middle, and High School.

# data[].attributes.body
"Martin Luther King, Jr.." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2024. school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/Martin-Luther-King-Jr/353339. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enter the Access ID and Passcode provided by your school to access Britannica School.

# data[].attributes.body
Flynn, Riley. "Martin Luther King Jr.." Capstone, 2024, bookplayer.pebblego.com/book/9781663962195. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.body
Miller, Connie C.. "Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott." Capstone, 2024, bookplayer.pebblego.com/book/9781496654847. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.body
Derosier, M. M.. "Ruby Bridges." Capstone, 2024, bookplayer.pebblego.com/book/9781663972828. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.body
Wilson, Lakita. "Thurgood Marshall." Capstone, 2024, bookplayer.pebblego.com/book/9781663970718. Accessed 9 Dec. 2024.

# data[].attributes.body
Chandler, Gemma. “Martin Luther King Facts.” National Geographic Kids, 12 Jan. 2024, www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/history/general-history/martin-luther-king-facts/.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Meet the civil rights leader in our Martin Luther King facts and discover how he changed history for millions of African-American people during the Civil Rights Movement...
Martin Luther King facts

Full name: Michael King Jr.
Born: 15 January 1929.
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Occupation: Minister and activist.
Died: 4 April 1968.
Best known for: Campaigning for the rights of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

1) Martin Luther King Jr was born in the United States of America to African American parents. At birth he was named Michael King, but his father later changed his name to Martin Luther King Jr.

2) When Martin Luther King was growing up, life was hard for African Americans. The Southern United States operated under the 'Jim Crow laws' that kept black and white people separated in what was called 'segregation'. Black people had different schools, toilets and even sections of the bus to white people. They were also denied the right to vote in elections.

3) Martin Luther King had his first experience of segregation at just six years old, when he was told he wasn't allowed to play with his white friend anymore - his friend's father wouldn't allow it!

4) His first major role in the Civil Rights Movement came in 1955, after an African American lady - Rosa Parks - was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. This sparked outrage in the African American community and Martin helped to organise a boycott of the city's buses. After 381 days of protest, a court finally ruled that such segregation laws should no longer be recognised.

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable Martin Luther King primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!

5) Martin was a great believer in peaceful protest, inspired by the Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi. His protests used no-violent tactics, even when the protesters themselves were met with violence from the police.

6) In 1963, Martin gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, at a famous rally named 'March on Washington.' Over 250,000 people gathered in the country's capital to hear Martin and other activists speak about the importance of civil rights. It has become one of the most famous speeches in history and focuses on Martin's dream of a society where black people and white people live together in harmony.

7) In 1964 - 99 years after the abolition of slavery - the Civil Rights Act was passed, outlawing racial segregation and discrimination in the USA.

8) In October 1964, Martin won the Nobel Peace Prize! He was told over the phone whilst he was in bed suffering from exhaustion - it had been a long, hard fight for civil rights!

9) Tragically, Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968 in Tennessee, where he had given a speech the day before. He was standing on the balcony his hotel when he was shot. James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder and spent the rest of his life in prison, despite claiming to be innocent. James died in 1998.

10) Martin Luther King Jr is remembered for his tireless work during the Civil Rights Movement and his dream that one day everyone would be treated as equals. A statue built in his memory now stands in Washington D.C. and each year, the third Monday in January is celebrated as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an American federal holiday.

Want to know more? Check out Nat Geo Kids' and Nelson Mandela articles to learn about the vital work of these incredible activists.

What do you think of our Martin Luther King facts? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Martin Luther King facts | National Geographic Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the world-famous civil rights campaigner in our Martin Luther King facts. Born in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America, Martin Luther King is famous for campaigning for the rights of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and his assassination in 1968...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Rosa Parks stood up for African Americans-by sitting down.

Although Abraham Lincoln 's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation granted slaves their freedom, for many years Black people were discriminated against in much of the United States. In southern states, for instance, most Black children were forced to attend separate schools from white kids in classrooms that were often rundown, with outdated books. African Americans also couldn't eat at the same restaurants as white people and had to sit in the back seats of public buses. Segregation-the separation of races-was enforced by local laws.

Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913. On December 1, 1955, she boarded a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama and sat in the middle, where Black passengers in that city were allowed to sit unless a white person wanted the seat. As the bus filled with new riders, the driver told Parks to give up her seat to a white passenger. She refused. The driver called police, and Parks was arrested.

Her arrest sparked a major protest. For more than a year, most Black people in Montgomery stood together and refused to take city buses. (One of the leaders of the boycott was a young local pastor named Martin Luther King, Jr.) Public vehicles stood idle, and the city lost money. Still, the Montgomery Bus Boycott didn't end until a 1956 Supreme Court decision ended racial segregation on public transportation throughout the United States.

Parks died on October 24, 2005. But throughout her life, her refusal to give up her seat inspired many others to fight for African-American rights and helped advance the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rosa Parks stood up for African Americans-by sitting down.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In 1960, Ruby Bridges (September 8, 1954-present) walked through the doors of William Frantz Elementary School, in New Orleans, Louisiana. By doing so, she became the first African-American student to attend an all-white elementary school in the Southern United States.

On November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges became a symbol of the U.S. civil rights movement. She was just 6 years old. Her simple act of going to an all-white school marked the beginning of integration for U.S. public schools.

Bridges was born in Tylertown, Mississippi, on September 8, 1954. A few months before her birth, the Supreme Court-the nation's highest court -had issued a ruling on five combined cases that would impact not only Bridges's life, but also change the course of American history.

In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the prosecution wanted to end the idea of "separate but equal schools." In many places in the U.S., black students and white students could not attend the same school. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in U.S. public schools was against the constitution. In his opinion, Chief Justice Earl Warren stated that "in the field of public education the of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are unequal . . ."

Although it was illegal to have segregated schools, some states-especially in the South-did not follow the ruling. The Supreme Court was aware of the resistance and took action. A year after the ruling, the court declared that the desegregation of public schools should advance with "all deliberate speed." Five years later, little Ruby would become the first student to a Southern elementary school.

A Promising Student

When Bridges was 4, the family moved from Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana. Her parents hoped a new city would offer better job opportunities. Her father, Abon, found a job working as a gas station attendant and her mother, Lucille, worked nights to help support their growing family.

Bridges attended kindergarten in a segregated school in New Orleans. But in 1960, a federal court ordered that Louisiana all of its public schools. Bridges was a good student. She was chosen to be part of a small group of black students who would take an exam given by the school district. The exam determined which students would attend the all-white schools. Bridges was one of six black children who passed the exam. She enrolled in William Frantz Elementary School. It was just blocks from her home.

At first, Bridges's father refused to enroll his daughter in the all-white school. He feared some would seek revenge on the family. However, her mother convinced him that it was the right decision. She believed their daughter would get a better education at an all-white school. Bridges's parents were unable to read or write. On November 14, federal marshals escorted Bridges and her mother to her new school.

School of One

In a 1997 interview with PBS NewsHour, Bridges recalled preparing to leave for her new school. She remembered looking out the window of a car driven by a U.S. marshal. "Driving up, I could see the crowd," she said, "but living in New Orleans, I actually thought it was Mardi Gras."

The angry crowd chanted, "Two, four, six, eight, we don't want to integrate." They tried to block the entrance to the school. While Bridges and her mother sat in the principal's office, hundreds of parents entered the school and removed their children from their classrooms. "They didn't see a child," Bridges later said in the PBS special series The African Americans. "They saw change and what they thought was being taken from them."

The next day, Bridges was led past the screaming crowd and into the school by four marshals. When she arrived at her classroom, she found a teacher but no students. Her teacher, Barbara Henry, was a Boston, Massachusetts, native who had moved to the South hoping to help schools integrate. She was the only teacher willing to teach Bridges. "She would greet me, take me to my classroom, and it was just her and I," said Bridges. Although Bridges and Henry remained in the classroom alone, neither missed a single day of school that year.

A Lasting Legacy

The following school year, Bridges attended second grade at William Frantz. This time, the crowds had disappeared, and her classroom was full of students. In 1963, she was immortalized in a now-iconic painting called The Problem We All Live With, by artist Norman Rockwell.

In 1999, Bridges established the Ruby Bridges Foundation to teach tolerance to students. The following year, she was made an honorary deputy federal marshal in Washington, D.C. "I am so proud to have received such an honor," she said. "Deputy U.S. marshals are peacemakers and advocates of justice."

In 2014-54 years after she attended her first day of school at William Frantz-a bronze statue of 6-year-old Ruby Bridges was unveiled in the school's courtyard. "We need to honor the power of children," she said at the ceremony. "We need to encourage them that they can do extraordinary things."

Today, Bridges is an author, activist, and public speaker. She continues her work helping people learn to be more accepting of others.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In 1960, Ruby Bridges (September 8, 1954-present) walked through the doors of William Frantz Elementary School, in New Orleans, Louisiana. By doing so, she became the first African-American student to attend an all-white elementary school in the Southern United States....

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How the first black Supreme Court justice changed children’s lives

# data[].attributes.body
“Martin Luther King Jr..” Time for Kids, 11 Feb. 2021, www.timeforkids.com/g56/martin-luther-king-2/.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) is considered one of history's greatest speakers and social activists. His leadership in peaceful protests helped end segregation during the American civil rights movement.

When Martin Luther King Jr. was born, his parents, Michael and Alberta, gave him a different name from the one we know today. They called him Michael. But Michael Sr. later changed his name and his son's to Martin Luther, after the famous religious leader. The middle-class family was very religious. Both Martin's father and grandfather were pastors in Atlanta, Georgia. The King children grew up in a loving home but experienced racism from an early age.

Separate Is Never Equal

King attended segregated public schools in Georgia. He skipped the ninth and eleventh grades and graduated from high school at 15. It was around that time that he joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights organization. King's father led the NAACP's Atlanta chapter.

In 1948, King graduated from Morehouse College, in Atlanta. He went on to study religion at Crozer Theological Seminary, in Chester, Pennsylvania. In 1951, he graduated with honors and was class valedictorian. Soon after, he enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Boston University (B.U.), in Massachusetts. He met music student Coretta Scott in Boston. The couple married in 1953 and later had two sons and two daughters.

In 1954, while completing his degree, King moved to Montgomery, Alabama. He became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Soon after, on December 1, 1955, a woman named Rosa Parks was arrested after refusing to give her seat to white passengers on a Montgomery city bus. In response, the NAACP chose King to lead a citywide bus boycott. For 381 days, members of the black community walked or carpooled to work. Many of them were attacked.

The NAACP filed a lawsuit against the city of Montgomery. They argued that segregation on city buses was unconstitutional. On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such segregation was indeed illegal. The court based its decision, in part, on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. In that case, the court concluded that "separate is never equal."

One year later, King, along with 60 ministers and activists, founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

"I Have a Dream"

In the spring of 1963, King organized a protest in Birmingham, Alabama. The event drew nationwide attention. That's because city police officers blasted participants with fire hoses and let attack dogs loose. King and others were jailed.

After their release, King and other civil rights leaders laid plans for a demonstration in the nation's capital. The March on Washington attracted more than 200,000 people. On August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. He spoke of a day when all men would be treated equally. King went on to win the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. He was 35 years old and the youngest person to have received the honor.

Reaching the Promised Land

The fight for equal rights, however, was far from over. On March 7, 1965, demonstrators set off on a 54-mile march, organized by King, from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The event became violent when police met marchers with nightsticks and tear gas on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in Selma. Seventeen people ended up in the hospital. King was not present, but he watched the scene unfold on TV. Soon after, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The law stated that all citizens had a right to vote, no matter the color of their skin.

On April 3, 1968, King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of striking sanitation workers. In a speech there, he said, "I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land." The next day, he was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, where he was staying. The assassination ended King's life. He was 39 years old. It sparked riots in more than 100 cities. The accused shooter, James Earl Ray, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

"I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the United States, King's birthday is observed as a national holiday on the third Monday in January. On that day, many Americans volunteer at shelters, schools, hospitals, and other community organizations to honor the civil rights leader's legacy of service and commitment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) is considered one of history's greatest speakers and social activists. His leadership in peaceful protests helped end segregation during the American civil rights movement. When Martin Luther King Jr. was born,...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Rosa McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1913. When she was 2, her parents separated. Rosa moved with her mother to Pine Level, Alabama, to live with her grandparents. Rosa's mother taught school in another town. She was able to come home to see her children only on weekends.

Rosa missed her mother, but she loved being with her grand-parents. From her grandfather, she learned how to plant corn and milk cows. Her grand-mother taught her how to cook and make quilts.

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE VIA GETTY IMAGE

Rosa's grandparents also taught her about racism. In the American South, laws kept Black people separate from white people. Black people had to use separate entrances, drink from separate fountains, and go to separate schools and hospitals. Sometimes, groups of white men attacked Black people. They set fire to Black homes, churches, and schools. Rosa's grandfather had to board up the family's windows so no one could break in. Rosa learned to be brave.

When Rosa was 6, she went to the elementary school for Black children in Pine Level. Rosa and her classmates had to walk to school, no matter how far away they lived. White children rode a school bus. Sometimes, white children threw things at Rosa and her friends from the bus.

BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES

Pine Level had no junior high or high school for Black children, so Rosa's mother sent her to a school in Montgomery. All the girls there were Black. The teachers were white. Rosa had always obeyed the rules and took care to avoid trouble. But one day, she was walking along the street and a white boy threatened her. Rosa threatened him back. The boy's mother was upset and talked about having Rosa put in jail. Luckily, that didn't happen.

As Rosa grew up, she made the decision to not let racism make her act out in anger ever again. Still, she knew that things weren't fair, and it bothered her.

Rosa Refuses

UNDERWOOD ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES

In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for sitting on a bus. As in many cities in the South, the buses in Montgomery, Alabama, were segregated. Black people had to sit at the back. If a white person wanted to sit, a Black person had to give up his or her seat. On December 1, Rosa refused to get up. She was arrested. Many claimed Rosa was just tired. But she was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was a deliberate protest.

Her arrest caused a bus boycott in Montgomery. The boycott lasted for more than a year. A federal court and the Supreme Court ruled against segregated buses. Rosa's actions inspired many other battles against unfair laws.

WILLIAM PHILPOTT-GETTY IMAGES

Fast Facts

Rosa married a man named Raymond Parks in 1932. He worked as a barber in Montgomery

At age 16, Rosa dropped out of high school to care for her sick grandmother and mother. A few years later, she returned and got her diploma.

In 1996, Rosa received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It's the highest award a civilian can get.

In 1999, TIME magazine called Rosa one of the most influential people of the 20th century.

There's a statue of Rosa in the United States Capitol, in Washington D.C.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
This is Rosa: Read the Story of Rosa Parks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rosa McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1913. When she was 2, her parents separated. Rosa moved with her mother to Pine Level, Alabama, to live with her grandparents. Rosa's mother taught school in another town. She was able...

# data[].attributes.body
Dr. King was one of the most important leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. He led peaceful protests and gave powerful speeches, including his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech. He believed in using nonviolent methods to achieve equality and justice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. | In Memory of Greatest Civil Rights Leader | Dr. Binocs Show

# data[].attributes.body
Known as the 'Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,' Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. Her brave action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Twinkl Teaching Resources - United States

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Who Was Rosa Parks? | Biography and Civil Rights Movement Lesson | Twinkl USA

# data[].attributes.body
John Lewis was a civil rights leader who helped organize the March on Washington. He was one of the original Freedom Riders and led many peaceful protests. He later became a congressman.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Fresberg Cartoon – Learning & History for Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
John Lewis: A Legacy of Courage Video | Biography

# data[].attributes.body
Medgar Evers was a civil rights activist who worked to end segregation in Mississippi. He helped African Americans register to vote and investigated crimes against black people.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Medgar Evers - Civil Rights Activist | Mini Bio | BIO

# data[].attributes.body
Diane Nash led sit-ins and freedom rides. She was a founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and helped organize major civil rights campaigns.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Diane Nash and the Sit-Ins | PBS LearningMedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In this interview, civil-rights leader Diane Nash recalls her role in the 1960 Nashville sit-ins, the 1961 Freedom Rides, and the 1965 voting rights campaign in Selma, Alabama. As one of the founders of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Nash mobilized her fellow college students to confront segregation and discrimination with nonviolent direct action.

# data[].attributes.body
At just six years old, Ruby Bridges became the first African American child to integrate an all-white elementary school in the South. She showed incredible bravery facing angry crowds every day.

# data[].attributes.body
Before becoming the first African American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall was a lawyer who fought against segregation. He won the famous Brown v. Board of Education case.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Thurgood Marshall || Facts about Thurgood Marshall #blackhistorymonth

# data[].attributes.body
A. Philip Randolph was a labor and civil rights leader who organized the first planned March on Washington in 1941. He fought for equal rights in the workplace and helped end discrimination in the military.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Educational Videos for Students (Cartoons on Bullying, Leadership & More)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Important Figures In Black History: A. Philip Randolph Biography

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read Aloud | I am Martin Luther King, Jr. | Storytime with Brad Meltzer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Storytime with Brad Meltzer | I am Rosa Parks | PBS KIDS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Love is Loud read aloud with author Sandra Neil Wallace | Read & Learn with Simon Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
La VIDA de ROSA PARKS para NIÑOS en ESPAÑOL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rosa Parks, defensora de los derechos civiles estadounidenses - Ellas Más