But her historic stand would irrevocably intertwine their lives, and the lives of all African Americans. There are more black doctors and lawyers, but for the most part, we seem to be going backward. We don't stand up for our rights as much as Rosa Parks did. We don't take advantage of opportunities like education. In fact, things seem to be going in reverse.
Many people take the achievements of the civil rights movement for granted today.
Look at voting. A common misconception, created in newspaper and magazine accounts of that day, and sometimes in the classroom, is that Rosa Parks refused to move from her seat because her feet were tired. But she had been active in civil rights long before that incident. Tired of being pushed around. Tired of seeing the bad treatment and disrespect of children, women and men just because of the color of their skin.