Talk:Rosa Parks/Archive 3

Citations needed
Citations are needed for this article. If they are not supplied, this article could be delisted from FA status! WhisperToMe (talk) 18:27, 11 December 2009 (UTC)

I see quite a few. Where is the problem? futurebird (talk) 04:37, 13 December 2009 (UTC)


 * Standards for featured articles tend to get more strict over some time. It appears when this article passed, some of the sources used are below the standard for what would be required now.
 * I hope these suggestions are helpful. --Moni3 (talk) 19:40, 17 December 2009 (UTC)

Request for expansion on her disagreements with the Civil Rights movement.
From the article

"Mostly because she was unable to find work, but also because of disagreements with King and other leaders of Montgomery's struggling civil rights movement."

This is vague and leaves the hip wandering what the disagreements were.

RobinReborn (talk) 04:14, 2 August 2010 (UTC)RobinReborn

Introductory organization
I think the material in the second paragraph starting with "Her action was not the first of its kind." is distracting in its current position, which should still be who Rosa Parks is, and her importance (or why she is known).

This content is really 'context' for her action at the time, and I would suggest moving it to its own paragraph, perhaps below the current third paragraph. As it may be new information to many readers, it might also have its own subject subhead.

173.77.22.177 (talk) 11:52, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

There is an oft printed AP picture of Rosa Parks on a bus with a single man behind her that perhaps should be included in this article, with the information that it was staged after the fact, (note that the bus is empty). I'm told the man in the picture is a federal marshal.

173.77.22.177 (talk) 12:00, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Mstreetnw, 1 December 2010
I am a staff member of the United States Congress and there is a difference between lying and state and lying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda. Rosa park is incorrectly noted as lying in state in your article. See Clerk of the House notation below: ROSA PARKS (1913-2005) Civil Rights Pioneer

Rosa Parks, an African-American seamstress whose act of civil disobedience in 1955 galvanized the U.S. civil rights movement, was the first woman and the second black American to lie in honor in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.ROSA PARKS is a boss

Lay in Honor: October 30-31, 2005 http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/lieinstate.html

Mstreetnw (talk) 21:45, 1 December 2010 (UTC)
 * Done. Thanks for the correction, MStreet.--SarekOfVulcan (talk) 21:47, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Wikipedia describing Rosa Park's claim to fame as civil disobedience
is racist

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress later called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement".[1]

"On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks, age 42, refused to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. Her action was not the first of its kind. Irene Morgan in 1946, and Sarah Louise Keys in 1955,[2] had won rulings before the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Interstate Commerce Commission, respectively, in the area of interstate bus travel. Nine months before Parks refused to give up her seat, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to move from her seat on the same bus system. In New York City, in 1854, Lizzie Jennings engaged in similar activity, leading to the desegregation of the horsecars and horse-drawn omnibuses of that city. [3] But unlike these previous individual actions of civil disobedience, Parks' action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott."


 * What's racist about it? thx1138 (talk) 22:55, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Activist
Rosa Parks was a great man and protester. By definition, an activist could be a Lobbyist or Lawyer. I believe the article should mention that she was a "protester activist".

As for me, I am a White Man who prefers the back of buses, cause that is where the air conditioning and heating are. I also believe the backs of buses and trains and airplanes are safer in a bad accident.

Supercool Dude (talk) 07:02, 1 December 2010 (UTC)


 * That's not the definition of activist. Also, we don't capitalize common nouns in English. thx1138 (talk) 22:56, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Dlampton, 12 July 2011
It would be nice to have the mention of the Fourteenth Amendment link to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

Dlampton (talk) 18:03, 12 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Jnorton7558 (talk) 00:04, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Edit request - Alexandra Bus Boycott - July 29 2011
The article now reads "The Montgomery bus boycott was the inspiration for the bus boycott in the township of Alexandria, Eastern Cape of South Africa which was one of the key events in the radicalization of the black majority of that country under the leadership of the African National Congress."

There should be a wikilink for "the bus boycott" to 1957 Alexandra Bus Boycott and the township listed should be Alexandra, Gauteng, not Alexandria, Eastern Cape.

Dankauppi (talk) 20:11, 29 July 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done — Bility (talk) 20:27, 1 August 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from Virginia.northington, 1 August 2011
Douglas Brinkley, "Rosa Parks: A Life," (New York: Penguin Group USA, 2005)

Virginia.northington (talk) 19:11, 1 August 2011 (UTC)

I'd simply like to add this title to the "Further Reading" section. Thank you!

Virginia.northington (talk) 19:11, 1 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done — Bility (talk) 20:34, 1 August 2011 (UTC)

Featured article review for Rosa Parks
nominated Rosa Parks for a featured article review here. Please join the discussion on whether this article meets featured article criteria. Articles are typically reviewed for two weeks. If substantial concerns are not addressed during the review period, the article will be moved to the Featured Article Removal Candidates list for a further period, where editors may declare "Keep" or "Delist" the article's featured status. The instructions for the review process are here. Brad (talk) 03:41, 12 November 2011 (UTC)

"Success"?
Phrase in the article: "...after the success of the one-day boycott...". In what sense was it a success? Simply in having the black people of Montgomery participate? Because it is hard to see any other terms in which the initial one-day boycott succeeded. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 03:25, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Citation issues
Looking toward that Featured Article Review...


 * "Man Gets Prison Term For Attack on Rosa Parks", San Francisco Chronicle, August 8, 1995. No page number, no authorship, and the article does not appear to be online anywhere. There is an identical (and identically vague) citation in Thomas C. Holt, Children of Fire: A History of African Americans, accessible in part on Google Books. I have to wonder whether the citation is from someone who actually checked their sources or was cribbed from Holt. In either case, it seems a bit weak and we should either flesh this out look for a different citation for the length of Skipper's sentence. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 00:43, 14 November 2011 (UTC)
 * Similarly, for the OutKast matter, the citation is Jet Vol. 107, No. 18, May 2, 2005. No article name, no author. Certainly a reliable source if the citation is fleshed out, but either it should be fleshed out or we should find a different source. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 00:49, 14 November 2011 (UTC)
 * The cited Associated Press, 'Barbershop' actor to host Image Awards, Los Angeles Times is inadequate for the incident in question. Very few of the related assertions in our article (all of which I believe to be correct) are covered by this source, so obviously another source was used and not cited. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 00:55, 14 November 2011 (UTC)
 * "Rosa Parks: freedom rider, Ruth Ashby, Sterling Publishing ISBN 978-1-4027-4865-3" is also a vague citation: no year, no page number. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 01:21, 14 November 2011 (UTC)
 * The passage 'A comedic scene in the 2002 film Barbershop... but NAACP president Kweisi Mfume stated he thought the controversy was "overblown."' is cited to Associated Press, 'Barbershop' actor to host Image Awards, Los Angeles Times, 2003-01-25. The citation is clearly inadequate, and does not cover most of the assertions here. My HTML comment to that effect in the article source was removed, so I am mentioning it here. - Jmabel &#124; Talk 17:54, 24 November 2011 (UTC)

Deaths from dementia?
Why is she in this category? Demmy (talk) 07:27, 3 December 2011 (UTC)

Edit request on 16 March 2012
I am requesting text be added after the quoted text: "The Rosa Parks Library and Museum on the campus of Troy University in Montgomery was dedicated to her on December 1, 2000. It is located on the corner where Parks boarded the famed bus. The most popular items in the museum are the interactive bus arrest of Mrs. Parks and a sculpture of Parks sitting on a bus bench." What I am requesting is the following: "In 2005 The Rosa Parks Institute sued Troy University over the right to use the name and likeness of Mrs. Parks for breach of agreement. The Institute lost because Troy University asserted sovereign immunity as a branch of the State of Alabama." http://caselaw.findlaw.com/al-supreme-court/1363247.html I am one of the attorneys that represented The Rosa Parks Institute.

Justice Delayed is Justice Lost 02:14, 16 March 2012 (UTC)

Not done: That detail seems out of place in this article. Thanks, Celestra (talk) 05:37, 17 March 2012 (UTC)

Communist Party non-membership
I've put something in about the Communist Party. I realise that this may be sensitive but there are often allusions to Rosa Park's supposed membership of the party (from both right wing conspiracists and far leftists) that I thought it would be a good idea to have something in the Wikipedia article to say what the facts show.

I know this could be sensitive so I thought I'd take it to the talk page before it gets reverted.

JASpencer (talk) 08:26, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

Missing reference
It says that "commuters walked, some as far as 20 miles (30 km)", but it has no reference. Also, 20 miles mean a 10 mile distance and back (which is close to a 4 hours walk), or a complete 40 miles, 8 hours jurney? 190.161.169.147 (talk) 03:32, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 10 December 2012
After her body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, the funeral held for Rosa Parks was held at Metropolitan AME Church on M Street NW...not St. Paul's as is currently stated. The article from the Washington Post is at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/31/AR2005103100370.html

208.247.58.105 (talk) 00:09, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Done Rivertorch (talk) 05:45, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

1943 allegation... sources?
"One day in 1943, Parks boarded the bus and paid the fare. She then moved to her seat but driver James F. Blake told her to follow city rules and enter the bus again from the back door. Parks exited the bus, but before she could re-board at the rear door, Blake drove off, leaving her to walk home in the rain."

I am unable to find a citation for this from court testimony, or any story that isn't from after JJames F. Blake's death. In fact the reference used on Wikipedia is an article written after Parks' death. Please find reliable accounts of this or remove its many mentions on Wikipedia. Krushia (talk) 19:52, 21 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Why is it vital that Wikipedia cite a story that predates Blake's or Parks' death, and why is the LA Times not a reliable source? Most cites on Wikipedia favor later stories simply because they're easier to find online than stories from, say, 1955.  Acroterion   (talk)   01:51, 22 January 2013 (UTC)


 * The problem is that the LA Times itself cites no sources, and since the article was written after both parties had deceased, it is obvious that the parties themselves weren't the source. So, who was? Also, why is there no mention of this fact in any printed record from the time the civil rights movement was going on? Surely Parks would have brought this up at one of the (at least) two trials she was involved in. Krushia (talk) 01:03, 26 January 2013 (UTC)


 * This is genuinely interesting, but the bottom line seems to be that the statement meets WP:RS. News articles frequently don't indicate their sources, and we can't require that they do so in order to use them as our sources. If it were an extraordinary claim, we could hold out for a second source, but it's plausible enough. Rivertorch (talk) 11:05, 26 January 2013 (UTC)

I've traced the statement back the Parks' 1992 autobiography as the first account, which seems to be highly criticized in academic circles (actually the basis for some revisionism studies such as this one. Perhaps we should change the citation to reference her autobiography and/or rework as "Parks' later claimed that..." to clearly indicate that the allegation didn't come about until 37 years after the 1955 incident? Krushia (talk) 15:24, 29 January 2013 (UTC)


 * Hmm. I guess I don't see any harm in sourcing it to the autobiography if that's where it originated (best have a source, either Google Books or the page number), but I guess I'm just not sure why it's noteworthy that the allegation wasn't published until 1992. Presumably lots of things happened in Parks's life that didn't get mentioned prior to the autobiography. What one bus driver did on a particular day may have been a contributing factor to later events, but it isn't being claimed that it was a hugely significant factor. Rivertorch (talk) 21:16, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Ethnicity vs. whisky
Can someone please correct the bottom section of the Rosa Parks article?

Its SCOTS-Irish...not SCOTCH...

Scotch is a drink.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.251.6.11 (talk) 17:55, 4 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Robert Burns might disagree with that, but what you're saying is more or less in line with modern usage. However, the phrase is part of the title of a Wikipedia category and is transcluded in various articles, so it cannot be changed here independently. You could try resurrecting the discussion at Category talk:American people of Scotch-Irish descent, which apparently fizzled out a couple of years ago. Rivertorch (talk) 20:29, 4 February 2013 (UTC)

"NAACP regarded her case as the perfect test case"
I can not find a source supporting this. (I have now found a source) There are numerous stating that her case was a poor case because it was going to spend years in Alabama state courts with the chance that some judge along the way would just dismiss the charges as they did in Colvin's criminal case. So MIA went with Fred Gray's proposal to bypass the Alabama courts and file a class action lawsuit (Browder v. Gayle) in Federal courts using 5 other women who had previously been arrested and charged with violations of the segregation law they wanted to challenge. These 5 women's criminal cases had been resolved with guilty verdicts or the charges dropped (as in Colvin's case) so there was no problem going ahead with the civil action. However, Rosa Parks criminal charges were still on appeal and including her in the case would make it appear her lawyers were trying to circumvent Alabama courts and thus get the whole class-action law suit rejected so she was not included. The organizers were under a time pressure of keeping the boycott alive and with 99% compliance and a court case to resolve the issue that could take months to years was unfeasible.

Here are some links explaining the situation: '' With negotiations stalled and the boycott coming under increased attack, the MIA faces difficult choices. They can try to keep the boycott going indefinitely in the hope that the city fathers will be forced back to the table, but how long can the people endure? They can call off the boycott and wait for Rosa Parks' appeal to reach the Supreme Court, but that requires going through the entire Alabama appeals system before it even gets to into the lowest-level Federal court — a process that could take years — and what if a Federal judge simply dismisses the charges against her without overturning the law on constitutional grounds?''

'' Down to their last resort, they ponder Fred Gray's proposal for suing in Federal court to declare the Montgomery and Alabama bus laws unconstitutional and in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1871. They know that the boycott and the publicity surrounding it will make it harder for the segregationists to stall and delay the proceedings, so a decision might not take three years the way that Brown decision did. But given the visceral fury that Brown provoked, they know whites will react to a Federal lawsuit as if it were the social equivalent of an atom bomb. It will forever end any chance of a negotiated settlement, and bring down on upon them intensified white wrath — both state and local.''

''[http://www.crmvet.org/tim/timhis55.htm#1955mbbtrial The first hurdle is to find Black plaintiffs who have been arrested or mistreated on the buses, plaintiffs who can stand firm against white retaliation. Gray is unable to find any Black men, but five Black women step forward — Aurelia Browder, Claudette Colvin, Susie McDonald, Mary Louise Smith, and a fifth women who is later forced by whites to withdraw. (For reasons of legal strategy and tactics, Rosa Parks cannot be included.) The MIA leaders discuss, debate, and delay a final decision. Finally, on January 30, they take the fateful step, they order Fred Gray to file Browder v Gayle in Federal court.]''

"Claudette Colvin later reemerged when, two months after the Montgomery Bus Boycott began, attorneys Gray, Nixon and Clifford Durr searched for the ideal case to challenge the constitutional legitimacy of city and state bus segregation laws. Durr believed that an appeal of Park's case would just get tied up in the Alabama state courts." Alatari (talk) 07:01, 5 February 2013 (UTC)

Add commas
Please add commas throughout this page! A comma should follow a year in every instance. For example: In 1950, Rosa Parks walked down the street. Or: Rosa Parks was seen on November 1, 1950, walking down a street. Thank you! 24.104.66.238 (talk) 18:13, 13 February 2013 (UTC)S
 * Commas should indicate clauses: the mere existence of a year in a sentence doesn't call for a comma. Your first example requires no comma, the second, with two clauses, does.  Acroterion   (talk)   18:15, 13 February 2013 (UTC)


 * Commas may indicate clauses, but that is not an exclusive use. They are also used to indicate pauses in speech (which, in turn, is not limited to dialogue). "In1950RosaParkswalkeddownthestreet" is not the same cadence as "In1950,RosaParkswalkeddownthestreet." Additionally, there are not "two clauses" in the second sentence. There is a formatted date -- 'November 1, 1950' --, but the sentence is otherwise no different from the first. It contains no additional clause. RvLeshrac (talk) 15:01, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

Barbershop
"arguing with others that other African Americans before Parks had been active in bus integration, but she got renown as an NAACP secretary." Extremely unclear. Rewrite? Schissel | Sound the Note! 02:02, 3 December 2013 (UTC) (oh. as = because she was? still needs rewriting. I thought the "that other" were redundant words which changes the meaning of the sentence.)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 February 2014
Rose Parks was a legend. She made a change in the world to boycott the buses so they can end blacks and whites sitting in different places. She gave people the rights to sit where ever they WANTED. We love her for that.

She changed the world! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.80.144.203 (talk) 20:46, 5 February 2014 (UTC)


 * All true. But it wouldn't be encyclopedic to say that in the article. And her name was Rosa, not Rose, by the way. Rivertorch (talk) 21:14, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 March 2014
This request is being made as I would just like to contribute to Wikipedia on some facts about Rosa Parks. There are sources that make my statements credible so as to not create any vandalism.

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 14,1913-October 24, 2005) was an African

American civil rights activist who was commonly referred to as “the mother of civil

rights”. Parks was born in Tuskegee, Alabama to Leona, a teacher, and James

McCauley, a carpenter. She was of African Cherokee-Creek and Irish Scots descent.

She was also the eldest of two children.

When her parents separated, she moved with her mother to Pine level, quickly

settling in to a farm that her maternal grandparents (Rose and Sylvester Edwards)

both resided in. Throughout her experience on the farm, Parks had encountered her

grandfather standing in front of their house with a gun as members of the Ku Klux

Klan walked down the street. Taught to read by her mother, Parks had attended a

one-room school in Pine Level, Alabama that was segregated and was not equipped

with necessary school supplies such as desks. Segregation was introduced to her as

she and various other African-American students were forced to walk to school

while transportation in the form of a bus and a new school building were created

for Caucasian students. She then attended the city’s Industrial School for Girls

which was also another segregated establishment. In 1920, while Parks was

finishing the 11th grade, Parks was forced to drop out of school as both her mother

and grandmother fell ill. She then begun her first job as a seamstress at a shirt

factory in Montgomery.

In 1932, Rose encountered and married Raymond Parks, a barber and an active

member of the National Assosciation for the Advancement of Colored People

(NAACP). They had no children together. Inspired by her husband, Parks occupied

various jobs within the NAACP such as working as a secretary in 1943 to President

E.D Nixon, as well as youth leader. She had also occupied a job as an investigator and

activist against sexual assaults on black women. In 1944, she investigated the case of

Recy Taylor, a colored woman who was raped by six men of the opposing skin color.

Parks had then assisted in forming the “Alabama Committee for Equal Justice for

Mrs. Recy Taylor.” which was described by the Chicago Defender as the “strongest

campaign for equal justice to be seen in a decade.” Raymond had also encouraged

her to return to school and earn her degree.

Parks’s rise to fame begun Dec 1, 1955 as she refused to give up her seat on a bus to

a man of the opposite race. The Montgomery City Code required that all public

transportation be segregated and that bus drives had the ultimate powers of a police

officer of the city while in actual charge of any bus for the purposes of carrying out

the provisions” of the code. While operating a bus, the bus drivers were told to

assign seats for white and black passengers. This was sucessfuly administered with

a line made in the middle of the bus that consisted of Caucasians in the front of the

bus and African-Americans in the back of the bus so as to separate both races. When

an African-American boarded the bus, they would initially go to the front of the bus

to pay their fare and then get off and re-board the bus again at the back door. The

African-American passengers were ordered to give up their seat when the front

seats were filled up and more caucasians planned to board the bus.

That night, Parks, 42, had boarded the bus after work with a pursuit to go home

after a long day’s work. Parks had taken her usual seat in the back of the bus. The

bus begun to fill with caucasian passengers until it became full. The bus driver

stopped the bus and asked four passengers to give up their seats. Three did

as told, but Parks, the fourth passenger refused and remained seated. The driver

called the police. She was then arrested and fined which inspired the Montgomery

Bus Boycott. Parks had stated that her refusal did not stem from being physically

tired, but rather that she was tired of giving in. Parks was released later that night

on bail by E.D Nixon, president of the NAACP and Clifford Durr, a lawyer

that represented Parks. Parks’s encounter with the bus driver, James Blake, was not

her first but second encounter with him. In 1943, he ordered her to leave the bus

and re-enter as required by the law. When Parks exited the bus, Blake drove off and

left her in the rain.

EstherBdimez (talk) 00:55, 19 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. Jackmcbarn (talk) 01:11, 19 March 2014 (UTC)

Native background
I noticed that Rosa was today added to the category "Native American activists". I tried to find more information about her Native background, and found this from the New York Times:

"Rosa's father, James McCauley, hailed from Abbeville, Alabama, a farm town ninety-five miles south of Montgomery known for its wood pulp and cotton gins. With his light skin, thick, wavy hair, and broad shoulders, McCauley was sometimes mistaken for a Cherokee or Creek Indian, owing to the fact that one of his grandmothers was a part-Indian slave."

Does anyone have a reliable source stating this isn't true? If not, it's misleading to say anything about Rosa having a Native background, since it was so insignificant. Thanks for your comments. Magnolia677 (talk) 04:57, 17 April 2014 (UTC)
 * There are no sources stating that it isn't true, later I can take a look and see if anything comes up in any journal articles or biographies addressing her ancestry more, she qualifies for the category Native American activists because as far as we know she is by blood native regardless of how recent, one great grandmother is sufficient.Mcelite (talk) 22:07, 22 April 2014 (UTC)


 * Rosa Parks had been included in "Black Indians in the United States" and in the category "Native American activists". A reliable source was cited, which stated that one of Parks' great-grandparents was "part" Native.  That would make Rosa Parks--through "blood degree"--1/16 or less Native American.  I removed her from both categories, then had my edit reverted.  The United States Department of the Interior states here that being Native American--in a legal sense--is because "he or she is a member of a federally recognized tribe".  She wasn't.  Rosa Parks was a GREAT African American.  Likewise, Jack C. Montgomery was a GREAT Native American.  For no other reason than because so many young people use Wikipedia--and this very article--to do research, we as editors have an obligation to keep it accurate.  Listing Rosa Parks as a "Black Indian" or a "Native American activist" is misleading, because she wasn't. Magnolia677 (talk) 23:58, 22 April 2014 (UTC)


 * Okay...are you literally trying to go by the blood quantum laws in this article? The category Native American activist is referring to anyone of native blood to have been or is an activist, it is not the same as the category Category:Native Americans' rights activists. I helped create both categories and they do represent two different things. I agree Rosa Parks was a great woman but of also a Native American background.Mcelite (talk) 00:26, 23 April 2014 (UTC)


 * You added Parks to the category "Native American activists". At the top of that category page it states "this category includes Native Americans in the United States who are activists for various causes".  Nowhere on that category page does it say anything--to quote you--about "anyone of native blood to have been or is an activist".  The article race and ethnicity in the United States Census provides a census definition as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment".  I'm kinda sure you don't have a reliable source stating which tribal affiliation Parks' maintained, so maybe leaving her out of that category would be best.  Thanks.  Magnolia677 (talk) 01:27, 23 April 2014 (UTC)


 * Okay let me clarify, that is pertaining to anyone of Native American heritage, not people who are full blood if that was the case a lot of people in the category would not be there. I can honestly careless about the U.S. definition of who is identified as Native because the whole point of that was to establish stronger ties to the blood quantum laws going into even more in depth issues of the flaws with the system. It is difficult to say if she did maintain affiliation or culture with her native heritage, she lived in the south and during that time it was worse to be Native American than African American, many natives that did live in the south kept it a secret or passed as white if they were light enough to do so (mostly those who did have some European heritage). She lived in a generation which you didn't let people know that you were native. So does she belong in the category yes she doesMcelite (talk) 03:27, 25 April 2014 (UTC)

Lying in honor, not state
In the short summary at the beginning of the article, it says that Rosa Parks was 'granted the posthumous honor of lying in state at the Capitol Rotunda.' She was not granted the honor of lying in state; she lay in honor at the Capitol Rotunda. I can't change it since I don't have an account, but it would be nice if someone changed it so that it's correct.

Citations needed
There are various facts cited in this article that need citations. For example: After the bus boycott, It stated that black churches were bombed or burned. Which churches?

Edit request to add citation
I would just like to add this or a citation to the "Further Readings" section:

http://www.ubspectrum.com/news/civil-rights-icon-rosa-parks-92-dies-1.1403914#.URRQbGeynu1

rosa parks
rosa parks was a young small black wommen. during tge civil rights movment. a white man wanted her seat she said no! and she was famous ever since

Legacy
In 2006, the city of Portland, Oregon, changed a major street through the north side of the city from Portland Boulevard to Rosa Parks Way, in her honor. At the same time a MAX light rail stop on the Yellow Line was also changed to Rosa Parks.

Source: www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/07/if_rosa_parks_way_naming_is_an.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Rosa_Parks_Way_(MAX_station)

Addition to 'In popular culture' section
Some who isn't restricted should add this to the main page: (Verifiable at the Drunk History wiki page. Season 2, Episode 1, aired 1st July 2014)

The story of Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin was the subject of an episode of Drunk History on Comedy Central, with Rosa Parks being played by Lisa Bonet. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 162.219.178.50 (talk) 20:59, 4 July 2014 (UTC)

Additon- asteorid named in her honor
Asteriod (284996) Rosaparks, discovered by the WISE mission, has been named in her honor. Could this be added to her page? Thank you!

(86.44.47.134 (talk) 13:58, 26 October 2014 (UTC))Just like to add another tribute to your list of Rosa Parks Memorials While in Los Angeles ,visiting relatives,we were fortunate to witness the opening of The Rosa Parks Apartments in Old Crenshaw,Los Angeles,in 2010...you may like to check this out and add it to your list of memorials.(86.44.47.134 (talk) 13:58, 26 October 2014 (UTC))

Blake did not leave Rosa Parks in the rain
From the article,

"One day in 1943, Parks boarded the bus and paid the fare. She then moved to her seat but driver James F. Blake told her to follow city rules and enter the bus again from the back door. Parks exited the bus, but before she could re-board at the rear door, Blake drove off, leaving her to walk home in the rain.[18]"

The cited source states of this encounter,

"One day in 1943, Parks boarded a bus to register to vote. But the back of the bus was standing room only. Instead of stepping off to go to the back door after paying her fare in front, Parks walked down the aisle. '''The driver, James Blake, demanded that she disembark and re-board at the rear of the bus. Parks got off and waited for the next bus. She swore to herself never to ride with that driver again." '''

This section should be edited. I'd do it myself, but it's completely locked down. — Preceding unsigned comment added by SenselessNoise (talk • contribs) 06:12, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

Parks was not the first person to resist bus segregation.
Actually, she wasn't even resisting bus segregation she just fell asleep — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.0.114.67 (talk) 18:04, 23 October 2014 (UTC)


 * The article makes it plain that Parks moved seats. Towards the window. The driver told her that unless she moved she would be arrested. She refused to move. She was arrested. HOW was all that possible if she was "asleep"? Perhaps you could attend some sort of evening class to help you learn to read texts properly? 213.114.44.178 (talk) 11:27, 27 June 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20090814081349/http://transit.metrokc.gov/up/archives/2005/rosaparks.html to http://transit.metrokc.gov/up/archives/2005/rosaparks.html

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different stories
In the text where it starts it says she refused to give her colored seat to a white person. But in the report it says she sat on a white seat? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.44.1.80 (talk) 11:05, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

Rosa parks and Planned Parenthood activism
Numerous articles in the past few days (after debate 2 of the Republican Primary debates) pointed out that Rosa Parks served on the Board of Planned Parenthood. Can someone make this change? Although I seem to meet the auto-confirmed criteria, I am not able to make the change. Here is an original reference for the claim of her PP service: Encyclopedia of Motherhood, Volume 1 By Andrea O'Reilly, "Parks, Rosa" at page 968, 969; 2010 I'll try to cite it - I hope I do this properly. Thanks!

--Acham (talk) 17:15, 20 September 2015 (UTC)

Paris subway station
Please can someone add this: On dec 13 2015, the "Rosa Park" Station is inaugurated in the Paris subway network. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Torpedolos (talk • contribs) 17:42, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

Oregon armed militia compares their action to Rosa Parks
Via Twitter, the leader of this group has compared their action to that of Rosa Parks on the bus, creating quite the ruckus. Complicating the issue, MSNBC’s Tony Dokoupil tweeted that Bundy does not have a Twitter account.

Someone is probably going to edit this page about this subject and I think a discussion is warranted. Poopy Doop — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.71.233.152 (talk) 21:27, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

Citation:

W4chris (talk) 16:50, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

Addition to "In Popular Culture" Section
Mark Camphouse wrote a piece called "A Movement for Rosa" dedicated to Rosa Parks. I had the opportunity to work with him on the song and he said he got the chance to sit next to Rosa Parks for a performance of that piece in Oregon. Can't edit the article, but I think that song should be added. 72.196.200.191 (talk) 19:49, 13 August 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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I have just modified 4 external links on Rosa Parks. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2004/edition_10-03-2004/featured_0
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.virginia.edu/lifetimelearning/civilrights/articles/Rosa%20Parks%20and%20the%20Black%20Freedom%20Struggle%20in%20Detroit.pdf
 * Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20051103%2FNEWS06%2F511030463%2F1012
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20101202100350/http://trimet.org/news/releases/2009/feb4_rosaparks.htm to http://trimet.org/news/releases/2009/feb4_rosaparks.htm

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External links modified
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Minor grammatical question
Throughout this page, any reference to the colored section, colored seats, etc have the word colored in quotes while the white section, whites-only, etc do not have the word white in quotes. For consistency's sake, shouldn't they both be the same as it relates to quote marks?

I haven't made any changes as I'm not sure which way it should be but wanted other opinions.

W4chris (talk) 21:38, 15 July 2017 (UTC)
 * I'd leave it as is. That's the way it was done when the article was given Featured Article status back in 2005 (though no one appears to have discussed it back then).  Also, although the article does not put white in quotes, neither does it do so for black.  It looks to me to be a legitimate use of quotation marks.  NewYorkActuary (talk) 23:10, 15 July 2017 (UTC)
 * "White" or "whites-only" is purely descriptive, so there would be no reason for quotation marks. "Colored" is a dated term that is widely considered offensive; the quotation marks indicate that the article is using terminology contemporaneous with the events it describes. Rivertorch   FIRE WATER   04:44, 16 July 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 October 2017
I suggest to change the part which says: "In 1999 Parks filmed a cameo appearance for the television series Touched by an Angel.[71] It was her last appearance on film; health problems made her increasingly an invalid."

to something that avoids use of the word "invalid", which is old-fashioned and can even be construed as offensive.

Perhaps something like:

"In 1999 Parks filmed a cameo appearance for the television series Touched by an Angel.[71] It was her last appearance on film; Parks began to suffer from health problems due to old age."

The semi-colon links the two clauses well and implies that Parks did not appear on film much afterwards due to her health problems. 2A02:C7D:A39F:B000:C418:E832:13BF:5D0B (talk) 15:50, 15 October 2017 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done Sparkling Pessimist   Scream at me!  17:39, 15 October 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 30 October 2017
I need to change a few errors in spelling and in grammar that I have noticed during reading this article. Rocketofdoom (talk) 02:58, 30 October 2017 (UTC)
 * , please read the actual text of the template you added above, where it says that you must provide "a complete and specific description of the request, that is, specify what text should be removed and a verbatim copy of the text that should replace it. "Please change X" is not acceptable and will be rejected; the request must be of the form "please change X to Y". Give the precise changes you want to make, along with links to reliable sources that verify any substantive changes. Cullen328  Let's discuss it  03:32, 30 October 2017 (UTC)
 * , please read the actual text of the template you added above, where it says that you must provide "a complete and specific description of the request, that is, specify what text should be removed and a verbatim copy of the text that should replace it. "Please change X" is not acceptable and will be rejected; the request must be of the form "please change X to Y". Give the precise changes you want to make, along with links to reliable sources that verify any substantive changes. Cullen328  Let's discuss it  03:32, 30 October 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20150906131826/http://www.busmag.com/pdfs/2002-09_RPBus.pdf to http://www.busmag.com/pdfs/2002-09_RPBus.pdf
 * Added archive https://archive.is/20130407192948/http://www.birdsofwinter.com/944/ to http://www.birdsofwinter.com/944/

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Semi-protected edit request on 15 January 2018
The caption below Ms. Parks being fingerprinted, describes D. Lackey as a Deputy Sheriff. He was in fact a Montgomery Police Officer, not a deputy sheriff.

This is my first edit, my user name if jfw068, I am retired from the City of Montgomery, Al. Jfw068 (talk) 02:11, 15 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Are you sure? The Library of Congress says he's Deputy Sherriff: . Other sources describe him as a Lt. Stickee (talk) 04:34, 15 January 2018 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Sir Joseph (talk) 22:24, 15 January 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 April 2018
Under 'Legacy' -> 2016 add: The house has since been returned to the United States and was expected to be rebuilt in Providence, Rhode Island. However, with disputed claims to the exhibition and the building, its current future is unclear.

(Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43492073) Jovanamh (talk) 12:36, 19 April 2018 (UTC)
 * ✅ L293D (☎ • ✎) 12:50, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

History of this news story has varied.
This article does not explicitly reveal that for a period of many decades after the 1955 incident, the promotors of this incident lied and claimed that this incident wasn't a staged setup. Eventually, they began to admit the "setup" nature of the event. So, this article should reflect that history. The following reference does not completely address the nature of the edits that I believe should be made. It shows, however, that there has been a dispute, and Rosa Parks herself disputed the characterization of her as merely a innocent. http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/topic/5259-rosa-parks-was-it-a-set-up/ "According to legend, on December 1 1955, a weary black woman in Montgomery, Alabama, sat in the "for whites only" front section of a bus and started the civil rights movement. Rosa Lee Parks, who has died aged 92, never stopped explaining that this was not really what happened. Nonetheless she continued to be presented as a simple soul with tired feet - a condescending misinterpretation of a woman who was an experienced and respected campaigner for civil rights." To find out much more, do a Google-search of '"Rosa Parks" setup'. 2601:1C2:4E02:3020:4146:2231:C4F1:8E76 (talk) 17:53, 25 April 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 May 2018
Rosa parks middle name is Louise not Lee 101.177.187.44 (talk) 03:03, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Sir Joseph (talk) 03:06, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 27 May 2018
Rosa parks caused a big argument as a result of this Martin Luther King Jr's house got bombed in the early morning hours while he was at church and his wife and child were home asleep Crystalove23456 (talk) 03:21, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
 * It's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. <b style="color:#070">Cullen</b><sup style="color:#707">328  Let's discuss it  03:35, 27 May 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 23 July 2018
In Rosa Parks' autobiography ROSA PARKS: MY STORY page 116; she does not mention use of a "colored" section sign. Only that the bus driver requested she give up her seat for a standing white man. 132.239.90.81 (talk) 23:14, 23 July 2018 (UTC)
 * This article does not quote Parks using the term. The term was commonly used during that era, and this article uses the term as part of an accurate description of the historical circumstances. DonFB (talk) 23:24, 23 July 2018 (UTC)

Calling the police
(I’ve asked this at Talk:James F. Blake but this page has more “traffic”);

What happened when the bus driver called the police? An archive link says they turned up in minutes (in Rosa’s words). How so?

How did he call them; roadside phone or bus radio? What were the other passengers doing? Was it a white versus black environment; were people yelling at Rosa to move – or encouraging her?

And one more; was "colored" all black – any other "colors"? Or more generally; was it a two-sided fight? MBG02 (talk) 06:10, 23 September 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 23 September 2018
she liked to walk in the park with rosas 83.32.67.215 (talk) 16:13, 23 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Hhkohh (talk) 17:55, 23 September 2018 (UTC)

Disputed Benefator Part 2
The above is a valid entry....why is it not in the article? The claim of Ilitch paying Parks' rent since 1994 was widely reported at the time of Ilitch's death, and the only reference to the claims in the "2000s" section are one dead link to MSNBC.--Chimino (talk) 02:19, 12 October 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 December 2018
Trever85 (talk) 15:25, 5 December 2018 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. DannyS712 (talk) 16:13, 5 December 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 15 February 2019
25lanejs (talk) 19:30, 15 February 2019 (UTC) Rosa parks is know for not getting out her seat on mongertery bus
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. DannyS712 (talk) 22:37, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 20 February 2019
167.135.32.251 (talk) 01:12, 20 February 2019 (UTC) its no fare that we cant es animating
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. <b style="color:black">Nici</b><b style="color:purple">Vampire</b><b style="color:black">Heart</b> 02:18, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was casted and orchestrated by the NAACP to board the bus in Montgomery that day. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2604:2000:2543:AA00:EC4E:8AF1:175F:3976 (talk) 16:45, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

Disputed benefactor
Claims have been made that executives at the apartment where she lived allowed Ms.Parks to live rent-free.

Alternatively, it was reported on the death of Mike Ilitch, that the founder of Little Caesars had started paying Ms Parks' rent in 1994. He had heard that there were concerns for her welfare and safety after she suffered from an assault and robbery. It was reported that Mr. Ilitch paid her rent for over a decade until her death in 2005.

Indeed. Read this on ABC and am confused by this section of the Wikipedia article. --Ivan Zarco (talk) 07:26, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

Ethnicity question
NOTE: I made an edit reflecting my research/questions below, and am happy to discuss it here if needed.Circa73 (talk) 21:42, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

In the Early life section it currently reads "She was of Cherokee-Creek descent [6] with one of her great-grandmothers having been a documented Native American slave. Additionally, she had a Scots-Irish great-grandfather" which doesn't mention African-American heritage? It leaves me wondering about her ethnicity...if she does have African-American ancestry could that be added into the article? Circa73 (talk) 19:13, 10 December 2019 (UTC)

...also, a close reading of the reference material that is cited for the statement "She was of Cherokee-Creek descent" reveals that the article cited actually says "Rosa's father, James McCauley, hailed from Abbeville, Alabama, a farm town ninety-five miles south of Montgomery known for its wood pulp and cotton gins. With his light skin, thick, wavy hair, and broad shoulders, McCauley was sometimes mistaken for a Cherokee or Creek Indian", the article does go on to say that "one of his grandmothers was a part-Indian slave" but it does not specify Cherokee-Creek descent.Circa73 (talk) 18:14, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

Time in Jail
How long she exactly had to stay in prison? Hours, days, weeks? Shlomo34 (talk) 09:11, 11 December 2019 (UTC)


 * So? How many Hours, days, weeks?

I cant see the information in this text.

Shlomo34 (talk) 08:23, 12 December 2019 (UTC)

== Hi Shlomo34, If you do a close read of the Refusal to move section (noticing especially when her supporters picked her up) and look at the picture titled Police report on Parks, December 1, 1955, I think you'll be able to figure it out:). If you want to make a guess, I'll tell you if I think you're right? Another question to ask yourself, was she arrested only once?

Happy researching! Circa73 (talk) 17:02, 12 December 2019 (UTC)


 * I can read she was arrested in the article. So the article also should say how long she was arrested. 1 hour,1 week,month,year? Should be in the article.

I am not sure why u not just tell me if u know it? Shlomo34 (talk) 18:00, 12 December 2019 (UTC)
 * In the "Refusal to move" section, the text says her friends "bailed Parks out of jail that evening". I don't know if any source gives a more specific estimate of "hours", but "that evening" means it could not have been "days" or "weeks". DonFB (talk) 22:35, 12 December 2019 (UTC)


 * So arreted is maybe the wrong word if she just was 3-4 hours at the police station.

Police allways take you 2,3,4 hours to the police station if something happend. If i hear was arrested i think of min. some days in prison. Thanks for the information i didnt see this anywhere.Shlomo34 (talk) 09:14, 16 December 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 17 April 2020
CHANGE Rosa Parks Interview to

ADD CITATION FOR: CITATION: JNudo (talk) 15:29, 17 April 2020 (UTC)
 * 1995: She received the Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award in Williamsburg, Virginia.


 * Yes check.svg Done Goldsztajn (talk) 18:03, 17 April 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 21 June 2020
65.78.113.197 (talk) 04:00, 21 June 2020 (UTC) Didi
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Jack Frost (talk) 04:25, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

Which section was Rosa Parks sitting in? And how many white passengers were standing?
(Pinging who first brought up this source at Talk:Main Page)

Currently, our article mentions (without sources) two details of the bus incident that conflict with at least one reliable source. Does anyone have any other sources to help resolve this? I'm struggling to find many that go into this level of detail. Since these claims are currently completely uncited, I'm inclined to change them to match the Chicago Tribune source, but it would be nice to have something a little more authoritative than what is basically a listicle. -Elmer Clark (talk) 14:22, 1 December 2020 (UTC)
 * First, it says she was sitting "...in the first row of back seats reserved for blacks in the 'colored' section." The source agrees that she was in the first row after the white section, but that it was in fact a theoretically first-come-first-served but in practice sort of "white priority" section, distinct from the actual "colored section" which only encompassed the back ten rows. This source from the Library of Congress is a little vague on this point but at least seems to agree that she was not in a strictly "colored" section.
 * Second, it claims that the bus driver took action when he noticed "two or three" white passengers (of unspecified sex) standing, whereas the Chicago Tribune source says he noticed one white man standing.

"colored section"
I believe "section" should also be in quotes alongside "colored", because the bus did not actually have sections, they were just imaginary divisions imposed by the segregationist policy. Also, it just makes better semantic sense. Elizium23 (talk) 07:38, 9 November 2020 (UTC)
 * I would disagree with this - "sections" don't have to be physically divided, they can be any type of subdivision, even if only created via policy (see definition 2 here for example). But, see also the next entry on this talk page re: what the sections really were... -Elmer Clark (talk) 14:38, 1 December 2020 (UTC)