Rosa Parks remembered on the 20th anniversary of her death
Rosa Parks left a legacy of change in the United States and the rest of the world. She died in late October 2005 here in Detroit.
Rosa Parks being fingerprinted by Deputy Sheriff D.H. Lackey after being arrested on February 22, 1956, during the Montgomery bus boycott
Rosa Parks left a legacy of change in the United States and the rest of the world. She died in late October 2005 here in Detroit.
The civil rights icon spent almost 30 years living in Detroit after making history in 1955.
While riding a Montgomery, Alabama bus in December of that year, Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was arrested and became a symbol for the Civil Rights movement.
For the next 50 years, Parks showed the strength of her convictions.
Her passing on October 24, 2005 was international news. WDET news director Jerome Vaughn filed this report that night for NPR.
Listen: Rosa Parks obituary
Parks’ funeral service was held a few weeks later. It was one of the most elaborate in Detroit’s history. Guests invited to speak at the event at Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple included former President Bill Clinton, the Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
WDET news director Jerome Vaughn was one of the hundreds of journalists from around the world covering the event. Here’s his report from early November 2005.
Listen: Rosa Parks’ funeral
The entire funeral service was broadcast live on C-SPAN and other media outlets. The event lasted for six hours. Parks is buried in Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
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