DSC04224
"Local NAACP secretary Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. While she did not know her act would trigger a citywide protest, years of abuse of African American passengers by white bus drivers meant that Montgomery's African American leaders were ready for a bus boycott.
News of the boycott spread at the grassroots level, and three days later, Montgomery's 42,000 African American residents began taking taxis, carpooling, and walking to work and school. Meanwhile, African American leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association, which took the issue to federal court.
Despite daily personal sacrifices and reprisals from some of the city's whites, the boycott continued for an entire year. Finally, the effort paid off. In November 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. The successful boycott nearly bankrupted the city's bus service and demonstrated the power of individual action in forcing change."
DSC04224
"Local NAACP secretary Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. While she did not know her act would trigger a citywide protest, years of abuse of African American passengers by white bus drivers meant that Montgomery's African American leaders were ready for a bus boycott.
News of the boycott spread at the grassroots level, and three days later, Montgomery's 42,000 African American residents began taking taxis, carpooling, and walking to work and school. Meanwhile, African American leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association, which took the issue to federal court.
Despite daily personal sacrifices and reprisals from some of the city's whites, the boycott continued for an entire year. Finally, the effort paid off. In November 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. The successful boycott nearly bankrupted the city's bus service and demonstrated the power of individual action in forcing change."