Rosa Parks was the Afro-American woman who refused to give her seat to a white man in 1955.

Rosa Parks was born on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. She grew up in a racially segregated society where African Americans were treated as inferior to white people. Parks became an active member of the Civil Rights Movement and fought against racial discrimination throughout her life.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, after a long day at work. She took a seat in the "colored" section of the bus, which was reserved for African Americans. As the bus filled up, the driver ordered Parks and three other African American passengers to give up their seats for white passengers. The other passengers reluctantly complied, but Parks decided to take a stand and refused to give up her seat.

The bus driver threatened to have her arrested, but Parks remained seated, stating that she was tired of giving in to segregation. Her act of defiance sparked a major turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and became a symbol of resistance against racial inequality.

Parks' arrest led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a mass protest against segregated buses in Montgomery. African Americans in the city boycotted the bus system for 381 days, demanding an end to racial segregation on public transportation. The boycott was successful, and the Supreme Court eventually ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional.

Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat and her subsequent involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott made her an iconic figure in the struggle for civil rights. Her bravery and determination inspired countless others to stand up against racism and discrimination.

Rosa Parks continued to work for civil rights throughout her life. She co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development and received numerous awards and honors for her activism. Parks passed away on October 24, 2005, but her legacy as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" lives on.