WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2016 — Following is the daily “Profile America” feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
ROSA PARKS
Profile America — Adding poignancy to Black History Month, February 4th marks the birthday in 1913 of Rosa Parks, a community activist who became a symbol of the fight for civil equality. Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man. This sparked a boycott of the bus system by blacks, which greatly energized the ultimately successful civil rights movement.
During her life, Rosa Parks championed the cause of increased opportunities for youth. When she was arrested in 1955, black children on average had attended about seven years of school. Now, over 84 percent of African-American adults have at least a high school diploma, and almost 3.5 million are enrolled in college as graduate or undergraduate students.
Sources:
Rosa Parks Mini-biography/accessed 12/1/2015: www.biography.com/people/rosa-parks-9433715
Black education in 1950s: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 380 High school: www.factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
College: Source: 2013 American Community Survey: www.factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk
Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at www.census.gov (look for “Multimedia Gallery” by the “Newsroom” button).
