Rosa Louise (Mc Cauley) Parks

Cicely was born in Harlem to William Augustine Tyson (carpenter, painter) and Frederica Tyson (domestic worker). Her parents had emigrated from the West Indies (William arrived in NYC in 1919). Her first work was in Ebony magazine as a fashion model. But her first acting work was on the tv series "Frontiers of Faith" in 1951 and she first appeared in movies in 1956 in "Carib Gold". An amazing talent, Cicely was the first African American to star in a tv show in "East Side/West Side" (1963-1964) and in the soap opera "The Guiding Light". Then, along with such notables as Maya Angelou, James Earl Jones, Godfrey Cambridge, Louis Gossett Jr, and Charles Gordone, she appeared in the original cast of "The Blacks" - the longest running off-Broadway non-musical of the early 1960s. In her 7+ decades as an actress, Cicely excelled in movies and on tv. For her performance in the movie "Sounder", she was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe. And for "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman", a television film, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie and an Emmy Award for Actress of the Year – Special. Her marriage to Kenneth Franklin (she was 18) ended in dating off and on in the 1960s, she married musician on November 26, 1981 but Cicely filed for divorce in 1988 after a tumultuous relationship. Cicely had no children from either marriage. Scroll down to read 2 obituaries.

NAME Rosa Parks BIRTH DATE February 4, 1913 DEATH DATE October 24, 2005 DID YOU KNOW? Before Rosa Parks, there were a number of others who resisted bus segregation and filed suit. DID YOU KNOW? After her famous act, Parks lost her job and endured death threats for years to come. DID YOU KNOW? Upon Parks' death in 2005, she became the first woman to lie in honor at the Capitol Rotunda. EDUCATION Industrial School for Girls, Alabama State Teachers College for Negroes PLACE OF BIRTH Tuskegee, Alabama PLACE OF DEATH Detroit, Michigan WHO WAS ROSA PARKS? ARREST LIFE AFTER THE BUS BOYCOTT ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS CITE THIS PAGE QUOTES 1 of 18 “At the time I was arrested, I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in.” —Rosa Parks Rosa Parks Biography (1913–2005) UPDATED:APR 24, 2020 ORIGINAL:FEB 27, 2018 Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist who refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Its success launched nationwide efforts to end racial segregation of public facilities. Who Was Rosa Parks? Rosa Parks was a civil rights leader whose refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her bravery led to nationwide efforts to end racial segregation. Parks was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Award by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Early Life and Family Parks was born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her parents, James and Leona McCauley, separated when Parks was two. Parks’ mother moved the family to Pine Level, Alabama, to live with her parents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards. Both of Parks' grandparents were formerly enslaved and strong advocates for racial equality; the family lived on the Edwards' farm, where Parks would spend her youth. Parks' childhood brought her early experiences with racial discrimination and activism for racial equality. In one experience, Parks' grandfather stood in front of their house with a shotgun while Ku Klux Klan members marched down the street.