Rosa Parks

15 Stories

In Florida, Activists Turn Eye on Social Studies Textbooks

There's a move to make publishers make controversial moves on language in textbooks

(Newser) - Last year, Florida went to town scouring its math textbooks for any sign of nonallowable content, including topics tied to critical race theory and "unsolicited strategies" such as social emotional learning (SEL). Now, social studies in the state is also under the microscope, as the traditionally "boring" approval...

Rosa Parks' Story Wasn't So Simple
Rosa Parks'
Story Wasn't
So Simple
OPINION
Feb 2, 2021 4:52 PM CST

Rosa Parks' Story Wasn't So Simple

Bus arrest was part of a long struggle for civil rights

(Newser) - The Rosa Parks of textbooks—a tired Alabama bus passenger whose small, solitary act of defiance helped ignite the civil rights movement—leaves a lot out. The distorted fable misleads us at a time when the real story could help the nation understand its history and find a way past...

New Aim for Rosa Parks' Home: Return It to US

Artist Ryan Mendoza, who brought it to Berlin, says now is the right time

(Newser) - Last year, an American artist living in Germany bought Rosa Parks' dilapidated home in Detroit and reassembled it in Berlin as an art project. Now Ryan Mendoza says it's time for the home to return to the US, per the Detroit Free Press . He cites the recent racial violence...

Little Caesars Founder Quietly Paid the Rent of Rosa Parks

Story resurfaces about the late Mike Ilitch and his generosity

(Newser) - The death of Mike Ilitch , founder of Little Caesars, has brought back into the public eye a little-known story about his hometown philanthropy in Detroit: Back in 1994, he began covering the rent for civil rights icon Rosa Parks. That year, Parks had been robbed and assaulted in her central...

Artist Dismantles Rosa Parks' Old Home, Takes It Overseas

Ryan Mendoza on holding Detroit structure 'hostage' in Berlin: 'America ... it's going to cost you'

(Newser) - What do you do if the blighted home your famous aunt once lived in is on the demolition list and you can't raise the funds to preserve it? In the case of Rosa Parks' former house in Detroit, her niece donated it to artist Ryan Mendoza, who took it...

AG Nominee Forced to 'Sit in Back of the Bus': Senator

Dick Durbin compares Loretta Lynch to Rosa Parks in delayed confirmation

(Newser) - Loretta Lynch is on the Senate back burner, waiting for confirmation as the new attorney general since her November nomination—first due to stalling over the president's immigration order, now over a human-trafficking bill, notes the Washington Post —and Sen. Dick Durbin isn't happy with the delay....

Buffett's Son Buys Rosa Parks Items, Will Donate Them

Collection includes hat she may have worn on famous bus ride

(Newser) - One lucky museum will be getting a treasure trove in the form of hundreds of items belonging to civil rights icon Rosa Parks. A foundation run by Howard Buffett, son of Warren, has purchased the items—including a postcard from Martin Luther King Jr. and a hat Parks may have...

Rosa Parks Statue Unveiled
 Rosa Parks Statue Unveiled 
Feb 27, 2013 2:20 PM CST

Rosa Parks Statue Unveiled

She is first black woman to get full-length statue at Capitol

(Newser) - Rosa Parks made history again today: A full-length statue of the late civil rights icon was unveiled in the US Capitol's Statuary Hall, making her the first black woman to receive such an honor, reports the Washington Post . President Obama and congressional leaders put aside sequester squabbling for the...

Rosa Parks Nearly Raped by White Neighbor

'I was ready to die but give my consent never,' she wrote

(Newser) - Rosa Parks was almost raped as a young woman, and in a newly surfaced essay she tells the story in painful detail. Her white neighbor, who hired her as a housekeeper, “moved nearer to me and put his hand on my waist. I was very frightened by now,”...

Top 25 Black Leaders: Obama Second Only to MLK
Top 25 Black Leaders:
Obama Second Only to MLK
survey says
Jan 17, 2011 11:30 AM CST

Top 25 Black Leaders: Obama Second Only to MLK

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he gets top honors

(Newser) - On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it’s fitting to announce that the civil rights leader himself was voted the most influential black American leader. TheGrio asked 25 academics, artists, and activists to rank a list of 170 black leaders, and the website calculated the top 25:
  1. Martin Luther King,
...

First 'Prostidude' Leaves Brothel, Returns to Porn

'Markus' saw total of 10 clients, Shady Lady Ranch madam says

(Newser) - The country's first legal male prostitute has left the gigolo business, and the Shady Lady Ranch is temporarily turning away female customers. They weren't a large segment of the customer base anyway: The Nevada brothel owner says "Markus," who started work in January—and compared himself to Rosa...

Folk Giant Odetta Dead at 77
 Folk Giant Odetta Dead at 77 
Dec 3, 2008 2:37 AM CST

Folk Giant Odetta Dead at 77

Odetta's powerful songs were soundtrack of '60s struggle

(Newser) - The woman Martin Luther King Jr. called "the queen of American folk music" has died of heart failure at the age of 77, the New York Times reports. Odetta was a huge influence on dozens of musicians from Bob Dylan to Janis Joplin as her powerful voice and songs...

Rosa Parks Collection to Be Sold to Settle Estate

Auctioneer may sell thousands of personal items worth $10M

(Newser) - A collection of thousands of Rosa Parks’ personal items, together valued at upwards of $10 million, will be sold by Guernsey's auction house, the AP reports. The sale is part of a settlement  between her foundation and her nieces and nephews, who challenged her will shortly after her death in...

Rights Activist Carr Dies at 97
Rights Activist Carr Dies at 97
Feb 23, 2008 4:00 PM CST

Rights Activist Carr Dies at 97

Friend of Rosa Parks and organizer of 1955 Ala. Bus Boycott

(Newser) - Johnnie Rebecca Carr, an early leader in the civil rights movement and compatriot of Rosa Parks, has died of a stroke at age 97, the Montgomery Advertiser reports. Carr helped organize the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1955 after Parks made her famous stand on a city bus. The group's yearlong...

HS Kids Take Color-Blind View of History

Women, blacks dominate students' list of famous Americans

(Newser) - Martin Luther King Jr. is the most famous American in history, according to 2,000 high school students asked to name the top 10, reports USA Today. In a dramatic break from the "dead white male" paradigm, African Americans, women, and Arfican-American women dominated the list, with Rosa Parks...

15 Stories