Rosa- Non Fiction

Rosa

By: Nikki Giovanni

 

This story is about Rosa Parks and her courageous attempt to take a stand against the unequal treatment of African Americans in the United States, during the 1950’s in Montgomery, Alabama. One day, Rosa was allowed to leave work early to go home and surprise her husband. When she got on the bus, the black section was full, and she decided to sit in the “neutral” section. When the bus driver asked Rosa to get up because white people needed her seat, she quickly refused to move and continued to sit. The police came and arrested Rosa because she would not move. When her friends found out about her arrest, they all came together to support Rosa. Twenty-five women met at Alabama State University and make flyers and posters to encourage other African Americans to walk instead of ride the bus. With the assistance of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the NAACP, Rosa Parks helped initiate one of the biggest Civil Rights protests in history. The people walked in protest for almost a whole year. On November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was illegal. Rosa Parks stood up for what she believed in, and helped to make life better for all African Americans in the United States.

As a future teacher, I would use this book during February because it is Black History Month. I would talk with my students about different people who led civil rights movements and helped to improve the quality of life for African Americans, such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Booker T. Washington. I could read biographies such as Rosa to my class, and we could discuss how their actions has had an impact on life in the United States. I would have the class do a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the historical figures that we studied.