Everything Everywhere Daily · Monday, September 28, 2026
Rosa Parks, a respected NAACP activist and Highlander Folk School graduate, was arrested on December 1st, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat on bus number 2857. This pivotal moment provided the opportunity for community leaders, who had been preparing for such an event, to launch the boycott. The Women's Political Council had already prepared 35,000 flyers for distribution.
“And when Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1st, 1955, they had their moment.”
“Rosa Parks was uniquely qualified for what was to come. She was a respected local NAACP activist with a sterling reputation in Montgomery and was a graduate of the Highlander Folk School.”
“By the time Parks was arrested, Johnnie Robinson and the Women's Political Council had 35,000 mimeographed flyers printed and a distribution network ready to launch the bus boycott.”