The archives of Rosa Parks, one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, are now available online.
More than a decade after her death in 2005, the Library of Congress has digitized Parks' papers into a free, public collection containing historical documents, handwritten notes and other items related to the activist's life.
The archive includes 7,500 manuscripts and 2,500 photos spanning 140 years, documenting both her personal life and her experiences in activism. Notable events recorded in the collection include Parks' famous 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, her involvement in the March on Washington and her affiliation with the NAACP.
Here's just a small sampling of the many compelling items you can find.
Parks with Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress, in 1968.
Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Visual Materials from the Rosa Parks Papers
1956 poster promoting an event featuring Rosa Parks.
Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, VISUAL MATERIALS FROM THE ROSA PARKS PAPERS
1956 reflection on boycotts subsequent to Parks' 1955 arrest.
Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, VISUAL MATERIALS FROM THE ROSA PARKS PAPERS
Parks (right) pictured with longtime friend Elaine Steele (center) at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 23rd Annual Convention banquet in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1980.
Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, VISUAL MATERIALS FROM THE ROSA PARKS PAPERS
Parks with her husband, Raymond Parks, in 1970.
Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, VISUAL MATERIALS FROM THE ROSA PARKS PAPERS
Rosa Parks and Congressman Walter Fauntroy hold a framed picture of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, c. 1980-1990.
Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, VISUAL MATERIALS FROM THE ROSA PARKS PAPERS
Representative John Conyers and Rosa Parks, picketing General Motors headquarters in Detroit in 1986, in protest of the company's decision to close five Michigan plants. Conyers holds a sign reading, "GM has made the most inhumane decision in its history."
Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, VISUAL MATERIALS FROM THE ROSA PARKS PAPERS
Parks (center) with Coretta Scott King (left) and Rev. Joseph Lowery at the reception for the unveiling of her bust sculpture at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., in 1991.
Credit: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, VISUAL MATERIALS FROM THE ROSA PARKS PAPERS
Parks (front left) with Maya Angelou and Elaine Steele in Washington D.C for the Million Man March in 1995.
Credit: Mark T. Kerrin / LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, PRINTS & PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION, VISUAL MATERIALS FROM THE ROSA PARKS PAPERS
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
