Did You Know?

Dispelling myths: Rosa Parks did not sit in the front of the bus as is widely believed. She sat in the first row of the black section.
Enduring mission: In speeches at conventions, churches, schools and official celebrations, Parks has long tried to make her fellow Americans, especially young people, aware of the history of civil rights.
Literary force: She has been instrumental in the writing of four books about her life: "I Am Rosa Parks," "Rosa Parks: My Story," "Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of the Woman Who Changed a Nation," "Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth" and her most recent, "I Am Rosa Parks." In 1999, she was at work on a cookbook.
A woman of values: Her commitment to first-class citizenship is based on her belief that all people are created equal; her power stems from a philosophy of quiet strength.
A woman of faith: Parks' favorite book is the Bible. Her favorite Bible passages are:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" "When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. ..." "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock."

Music to her ears: She loves gospel, hymns and spirituals.
Film buff: Her favorite movies are comedies.
Vegetarian lifestyle: Parks maintains a vegetarian diet. Among her favorite vegetables are broccoli, greens, sweet potatoes and string beans.
Parks' influences: "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., my dear friend; my mother, Leona McCauley, who was also a schoolteacher and taught me; and my grandparents, Rose and Sylvester Edwards, who raised me along with my mother. Youth have always influenced me."