The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 42

Distributed by UnNru1 Prau Syndicate from The Mtnr Page by Btty Debnam 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc. he Life of Rosa Parks Rosa Parks is shown here at her 75th birthday celebration. Many people refer to her as St. Rosa or Auntie Rosa. She is often called the "mother of the civil rights movement." The Mini Page thanks Ray White, vice president, administration and finance, Troy University, Montgomery Campus, overseeing the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, for help with this issue.

Site to see: www.tsum.edumuseum Rosa Parks as a child Rosa McCauley was born in Tuskegee, in 1913. She moved with her family to Pine Level, when she was about 2 years old. When she was 11, she enrolled in the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls. This school helped teach black girls skills to help them make it in the world. Rosa learned to sew there.

When she was in high school, her grandmother became ill. Rosa left school to care for her. Then her mother became sick land Rosa cared for her until she died. Rosa finally finished high school when she was an adult. Her adult years She worked as a seamstress at the Montgomery Fair department store.

She married Raymond Parks, a barber. She became the secretary for the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or the NAACP. Becoming a public figure After Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger, police locked her in jail. They refused even to let her make a phone call. When her friends tried to check on her, the guards wouldn't tell them where she was.

Eventually friends paid her bond and freed her from jail. When she went to court, she was convicted and fined $14 and court costs. Later she was arrested again, for supporting the bus boycott. Honors Because of her courageous acts, Rosa Parks is celebrated throughout the world. Leaders who have honored her include kings, world leaders and the pope.

She has received more than a dozen honorary doctorates from universities. Many mayors have given her the keys to their cities. She was awarded the Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, the After the boycott Because of their support of the bus boycott, Rosa and Raymond Parks both lost their jobs. No one else in Montgomery would hire them. They received many threats against them.

Her husband suffered serious illnesses as a result of the stress. They decided to move to Detroit, where her brother helped Raymond get a job in the auto industry. Later, Rosa worked for Congressman John Conyers. Her husband died in 1977, when he was 74. Her work lives on Rosa Parks has always loved children.

Much of her later work was focused on helping children and trying to give them a better future. She and her husband helped found the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. It helps children from all over the world learn about nonviolent ways of standing up for their rights. It also helps these children achieve as much as they can in their own lives. highest honors that can be bestowed on U.S.

civilians. In Japan, people gave her a rose-petal parade and lined the streets just to get a glimpse of her. Next week The Mini Page celebrates The Mini Page is created and edited by Betty Debnam Valentine's Day with a story about animal mates. Staff Artist Wendy Daley Associate Editors Tali Denton Lucy Lien Look through your newspaper for stories about heroes..