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.

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In her autobiography My Story Rosa Parks said:

When Parks refused to give up her seat a police officer arrested her. legislative branch the medal bears the legend "Mother of the Modern Day Civil Rights Movement"
Rosa Parks receives the Detroit-Windsor International Freedom Festival Freedom Award. She paid her fare and sat in an empty seat in the first row of back seats reserved for blacks in the "colored" section.

At the time Parks was secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP. Gayle lawsuit (Claudette Colvin Aurelia Browder Susie McDonald and Mary Louise Smith) arrested months before Parks. a new minister in town who gained national prominence in the civil rights movement.