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THE ROSA PARKS STORY: HOW ONE PERSON MADE A DIFFERENCE

Marilyn Lopes
Extension Specialist, Family Life Education
Cape Cod Extension
University of Massachusetts

Copyright/Access Information

Looking for a Story to tell? Begin by telling what happened not so very long ago, when the children's parents or family members were about their age:

One day, a black woman named Rosa Parks was riding home on a bus after a long day of work. She was very tired. She got on the bus and sat in a vacant seat.

In those days her city had a special law: if there weren't enough seats on the bus for white people, black people were supposed to give up their seats to them. Soon after she got on, the bus seats were full, and then more people got on. The white people expected Rosa to get up from her seat.

Rosa didn't think it was fair that the white people expected her to give up her seat because she was African-American and she didn't want to be treated unfairly any longer. She said, "No," and wouldn't give up her seat. Rosa Parks was arrested and put in jail. Many people heard what happened; some didn't think it was fair. So the black people in her town said, "We aren't going to ride the bus any more until the law is changed." For one year they didn't ride the bus. Finally, the law was changed! Rosa Parks wanted African Americans to be treated fairly. All across the country, people began to insist on their civil rights.

Encourage the children to act out the story. Everyone can be involved. You'll need props such as chairs, stools, or boxes for bus seats. Children can choose who will be the bus driver, Rosa Parks, the person who wanted a seat, the police officer, and other passengers on the bus. Let children direct the action and use their own words. Props such as bus tickets and shopping bags might be used.

After the children have finished reenacting what happened, talk about how each of the people involved probably felt: Rosa Parks, the driver, the person who wanted Rosa's seat, the police officer. Why did they do what they did?

Expand children's play if they're interested. You could build on themes including transportation, women in history, the Civil Rights Movement, or local, state, and federal laws.


DOCUMENT USE/COPYRIGHT
National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the National Extension Service Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network. Permission is granted to reproduce these materials in whole or in part for educational purposes only(not for profit beyond the cost of reproduction) provided that the author and Network receive acknowledgment and this notice is included:

Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC.
(1994). The Rosa Parks story: How one person made a difference. In M. Lopes
(Ed.) CareGiver News (December, p.1). Amherst, MA: University of
Massachusetts Cooperative Extension.

Any additions or changes to these materials must be preapproved by the author.
FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Available only on the Internet
DOCUMENT REVIEW:: Level 2 - University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension System
DOCUMENT SIZE:: 7K or 2 pages
ENTRY DATE:: October 1995
UPDATED:: March 2004

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