On February 4, 1913, civil rights icon Rosa Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Her defining moment came on December 1, 1955, when she refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. Arrested for her defiance, Parks’ quiet resistance ignited a yearlong bus boycott— which was a year in the making— that became a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, ultimately challenging segregation nationwide.

Parks, who passed away in October 2005, dedicated her life to justice and equality. She received 43 honorary doctorates and numerous accolades, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, recognizing her enduring impact on the fight for racial justice.

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