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'Ro-sa Parks, Ro-sa Parks, Ro-sa Parks'
Her defiance paved the way.
On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of a bus to a white man. At the time it was illegal for a black person to sit at the front of a bus in the U.S. Black people had to pay their bus fare, exit the bus and then re-enter through the back door.
Rosa was arrested for her rebellion and later convicted of violating segregation laws (for which she incurred a $10 fine). But that one act of defiance was the start of a larger movement for civil rights.
In support and led by Martin Luther King a 381 day boycott led to the Supreme Court deciding to outlaw segregation on public transportation during November, 1956. The integrated bus system became official on December 21, 1956.
Rosa remained very visible to the public throughout the rest of her life while being an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). First she served as secretary, then she eventually became an advisor to the NAACP Youth Council.
She was also on the receiving committee to meet Nelson Mandela in 1990 in Detroit. She expressed embarrassment that she had come, repeating: 'He won't know me.' When Mr Mandela glimpsed her he chanted 'Ro-sa Parks, Ro-sa Parks, Ro-sa Parks' and then the two aged activists fell into each other's arms and rocked backwards and forwards.
As Rosa Parks came back to lie in honour in her home town on Saturday, following her death aged 92 last Monday, thousands turned out to view her body and acknowledge her contribution to the racial transformation of the nation.
Her coffin was then flown to Washington where she will be the first woman to lie in honour at the Capitol Rotunda - a tribute usually reserved for presidents, soldiers and prominent politicians.
Without the determination of Rosa Parks who knows how bad race relations would be in America today and indeed for the average black American how much has really changed. It's no use being allowed to sit up front on the buses if you don't have the money to pay the fare.
Rosa Parks ended her life penniless in Detroit, with a church helping her pay her rent until her landlord stopped charging her. In her home state of Alabama forty per cent of African-Americans live below the poverty line - three times more than whites. The city is 48% white, but at least 90% of those who went to see Ms Parks' body were black.
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