FAMILY SNAPSHOT
Parents
- James McCauley
- Leona McCauley
Rosa Parks
Spouse / Former Spouse
- Raymond Parks
1955–1956 · Montgomery, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan
Rosa Parks & the Montgomery bus boycott
Civil rights & equality
Rosa Parks’s arrest after refusing to surrender her bus seat became a catalyst for Montgomery’s organized bus boycott. Her activism extended far beyond that moment, including decades of civil rights work in Alabama and Michigan. The biography and documentary challenge the idea that her protest was accidental.
Content note
Source note: screen portrayals may condense events or use fictional characters. Books and films are identified separately; a companion book is not necessarily the film’s source.
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The Story
When1955–1956
WhereMontgomery, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan
In this collection4 resources
Start here.
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Where are they now?
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Nicknames & media names
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Family Tree
The family relationships behind the story, gathered in one place.
Selected relationships only—not a complete genealogy. A family connection does not imply involvement in a crime.
About These Family Trees
These original diagrams summarize relationships reported by the linked sources. Community genealogy sites can contain errors and are not proof of identity or parentage. Full trees or record images may require an account. We omit speculative relationships, private contact details and unrelated living descendants.
Sources reviewed September 15, 2026. Suggest a sourced correction.
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Blogs & Essays
Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →
From the journal
No reviewed items have been added to this section yet.
Blogs & essays
1 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
Library of Congress · Timeless
Looking Back on the Bus Boycott
An essay draws on Rosa Parks’s papers to place the bus boycott within her longer history of activism.
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Books
CONTINUE YOUR READING
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Books
1 itemsJeanne Theoharis
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
A book about this story. See the linked source for the author, edition and publication details.
Search Amazon · paid linkExplore this book
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Movies & TV
Movies
1 itemsAbout these sources
Watch links, previews and title listings are identified below. Rentals or subscriptions may be required.
Film / television guide
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (2022)
Documentary inspired by Theoharis’s biography. The publisher’s page identifies the film connection; it is not a full-film stream.
Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & film details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
TV & documentaries
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Podcasts & Audio
Podcasts
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Social Media
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News & Reading
Free & Library Reading
2 sourcesExplore free articles, book previews and library options. The label on each item explains what you can access; a catalog entry does not mean the whole book is free.
Library of Congress · Free Article
The Bus Boycott | Explore | Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words | Exhibitions at the Library of Congress
Publicly accessible source material and historical context related to this story.
Read Article ↗Library of Congress · Free Article
Browder v. Gayle, Class Action Lawsuit | The Bus Boycott | Explore | Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words | Exhibitions at the Library of Congress
Publicly accessible source material and historical context related to this story.
Read Article ↗Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-15. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine. Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
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Newspaper clippings
0 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
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Keep following the newspaper trail.
Search original reporting, follow the trial, and compare how newspapers covered the case over time.
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Internet Archive
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
No accessible court document has been verified for this case yet.
New material will appear here after editorial review.EXPLORE THE CASE
Roads Traveled
Roads Traveled
Open case map →Montgomery, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.
Where this story happened
Montgomery, Alabama, and Detroit, Michigan
Highlighted states show regional context, not exact addresses. Ontario and regions outside the contiguous U.S. are listed by name.
Explore the interactive case atlas →Boundaries: Natural Earth · public domain
Location research & source notes
This case was added after the September 14 map-source review and has not yet been checked against those sources.
The map shows regional context for this case. No individually sourced historical place is included below.
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
Court ruling and organized boycott · National Park Service
1956: Montgomery buses desegregated
The boycott and Browder v. Gayle litigation ended legally enforced segregation on Montgomery’s buses. Parks was not a plaintiff in Browder; Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, Claudette Colvin and Mary Louise Smith brought that challenge.
Social Media
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