Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama.
At a Glance
- Date
- 1 December 1955
- Location
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Key people
- Rosa Parks, E.D. Nixon, Jo Ann Robinson
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- Montgomery arrest records, December 1, 1955 · Library of Congress
What It Meant Then
Her arrest sparked the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott that launched King to national prominence.
What It Means Now
Parks's act is among the most celebrated in the history of nonviolent resistance.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/rosa-parks-refuses-to-give-up-her-seat/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/rosa-parks-refuses-to-give-up-her-seat/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/rosa-parks-refuses-to-give-up-her-seat/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.