The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

During this period, Parks and her family suffered greatly. They were the targets of daily harassment and threatening phone calls. Both she and her husband lost their jobs, and they struggled financially for nearly 10 years following the bus boycott. Raymond’s drinking grew worse; still, Parks always said her husband was her partner in all things. When she took her husband to a psychiatrist after he suffered a nervous breakdown, she was told that she should give up her civil work; the psychiatrist believed that Raymond suffered from being married to such a strong-willed woman. She developed severe stomach ulcers and insomnia. Once, when asked whether the stance she took was worth it, considering everything she endured, Parks hesitated, stating that she would have preferred for her life to maintain some normalcy while winning desegregation.

Throughout the chapter, Theoharis points to various organizations and individuals and their failure to take responsibility for Parks’s plight. The NAACP did not embrace the boycott, even though many believed it was backing the cause. The NAACP was far more successful at fundraising than the MIA, but neither organization assisted Parks nor offered her a job. While struggling economically herself, she volunteered for the MIA, where she helped Black men and women find jobs.