The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Archival Summary & Scope

Winner of an NAACP Image Award and hailed by Soledad O’Brien as a "catalyst in changing our national understanding of Rosa Parks," *The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks* is the definitive political biography that redefines the iconic civil rights leader. Public historian Jeanne Theoharis challenges the popular "quiet seamstress" narrative, meticulously detailing Parks's six decades of activism and revealing her as a radical and committed fighter for equality. Theoharis excavates Parks's personal, financial, and political struggles, exploring her profound political philosophy and how she helped pave the way for future movements, including the connections drawn in the new introduction, “Nine Ways to Be Like Rosa Parks in the Age of Black Lives Matter.” This acclaimed work inspired the Peabody Award–winning documentary, *The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks*.