Rosa Parks

"I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."— Rosa Parks

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to get up from her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, saying in multiple interviews after the fact that she was “tired,” though not necessarily in the physical sense. Though she knew her decision to stay put could have cost her her life — or at the least, a heavy fine or jail time — Parks decided to stick to her guns, and the moment became a pivotal point in the ongoing fight against racial discrimination and oppression. Parks stressed the importance of not allowing fear to keep you from standing up for yourself in her co-authored book, Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation.