The Civil Rights Movement: Jeanne Theoharis' The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

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The Civil Rights Movement: Jeanne Theoharis' The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks
Mrs. Rosa Parks left a lasting legacy on the civil rights movement, and although she is associated with the Montgomery bus boycott her involvement in civil rights is far-reaching than it was previously thought. In The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, Jeanne Theoharis debunks the notion that the bus boycott was the beginning of her involvement in a political activism. Thus, the depiction extends to her portrayal of activism and collaboration with the NAACP over time. Despite acknowledgment of her legacy following the bus boycott, it is surprising that some writers did not give a biographical account of her life. Nonetheless, the recognition that difficulty in accessing some of the records associated with the political activism shows that it is possible this could be one of the reasons for lack of comprehensive writings on Mrs. Rosa Parks’ life.
To highlight that much of what was depicted in literature and the media did not capture the whole story surrounding Parks, Theoharis first explores the life of the activist before the bus boycott. This shows that race and class are important aspects that shaped Mrs. Parks’ life given that the working class African Americans endured constant struggles with discrimination and their low economic status. As such, living in a society where the black people were disenfranchised, Rosa Parks faced numerous challenges in her quest to use political mobilization to change the prevailing situation in America (Theoharis). In reexamining the bus boycott, Theoharis further delves into the role of gender and class in influencing her political position.
Rosa Parks became the symbol of the bus boycott, but a further look into her life shows her life long struggle to eliminate discrimination on the basis of race, gender and class. The book goes beyond Parks impact on the civil rights movement, showing that activism is a sacrifice. In Chapter 5, Theoharis focuses on problems like psychological distress as well as financial costs associated with political activism show that the struggle for freedom can be better and fraught with various challenges. Even though, Mrs. Parks did suffer for her efforts, this should not obscure her role in empowering and encouraging other political activists. It is noteworthy that demystifying a long held legend is not easy, but a thorough review of past records on Mrs., Parks provides a more comprehensive view on her life.
Even though, Theoharis connects some aspects of Mrs. Parks’ life more than other authors, she overstates that some of her findings are new and largely ignored by researchers and other authors. Through focusing on Brinkley and Hasknins, the author simply emphasizes on the point that Mrs. Parks’ early activism had long been acknowledged. In any case mentioning on early activism as well as association and collaboration with her husband Raymond Parks highlight that indeed past works on Mrs. Parks mentioned her journey in political activism. In any case, over the last two decades scholars have delved more into Mrs. Pars’ early involvement in the struggle for freedom.
The book is refreshing as it gives a new viewpoint through focusing on the role of respectability as the basis of Parks’ activism. Nonetheless, this is not rooted in middle-class consciousness, but rather the notion that one should respect themselves as well as those around them (Dunla...