They Walked To Freedom 1955-1956: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

In the early 1950s, Rosa Parks--who was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, and worked as a seamstress most of her life--became active in the American Civil Rights Movement and worked as a secretary for the Montgomery branch of the NAACP. She also attended the Highlander Folk School, an education center for workers' rights and racial equality. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Parks refused to obey a public bus driver's orders to give up her seat in the "colored" section of the bus to a white man. She was arrested, tried, and convicted for disorderly conduct. Partially in response to her arrest, Martin Luther King, Jr., then a relatively unknown Baptist minister, led the yearlong Montgomery bus boycott, which forced the public transportation authority to end the practice of racial segregation on public buses. This event helped spark many other protests against segregation. Meanwhile, in 1956, Parks's case ultimately resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that segregated bus service was unconstitutional. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' brave act of civil disobedience. The Montgomery Advertiser presents a tribute to Ms. Parks and the impact her stand against inequality had on civil rights, illustrated with rich stories and stunning photos from the archives of the Advertiser. The newspaper began publication in 1829 and was called the Planter's Gazette. It became the Montgomery Advertiser in 1833. By the turn of the century, the Advertiser was a major voice in Alabama. In 1903, R.F. Hudson, a young Alabama newspaperman, joined the staff of the Advertiser. He helped to lead the paper toward financial success, and by 1924 he owned 10% of the stock. In 1935, he bought itoutright and five years later he bought The Alabama Journal, a competitor. In 1963, the newspapers were purchased by Carmage Walls as the largest property in his growing list of Southern newspapers. Following the sale of papers to Multimedia, in 1968, this diversified communications company continued to upgrade the quality of the newspaper by adding skilled personnel and modern publishing equipment. In December 1995 Gannett Corporation merged with Multimedia. Together, the Advertiser and Journal have garnered more Pulitzer Prizes than have all other newspapers in Alabama combined.Hare, Kenneth M. is the author of 'They Walked To Freedom 1955-1956: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott' with ISBN 9781596700109 and ISBN 1596700106.