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Rosa Parks a member of the NAACP, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This act of civil disobedience ignites the movement. -
Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was a formation of local leaders, including E.D. Nixon and Martin Luther King Jr., who gathered to discuss a response to Park's Arrest. They established the Montgomery Improvement Association to organize the boycott. -
On this date, the actual Boycott begins with the MIA calling for a one-day bus boycott. Over 90% of the Black population in Montgomery participates, demonstrating the strength of the community's resolve. -
The expansion of the Boycott continues as local grassroots organizations, such as the Women's Political Council, actively promote and support the effort through flyers and community meetings. -
Around March of 1956, the MIA files a lawsuit against the bus segregation laws, making a significant legal challenge to systematic racism. -
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on a public bus is unconstitutional, a victory for the boycott and grassroots organizers. -
The Montgomery Bus Boycott officially ended after 381 days, symbolizing a successful grassroots effort that inspired future civil rights actions across the nation.
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In summary, The Montgomery Bus Boycott was made possible by the local and grassroots organizations that mobilized the community and challenged systemic injustice. Key players like the Montgomery Improvement Association and the Women's Political Council played crucial roles in organizing the boycott and bringing national attention to the struggle for civil rights. This moment not only advanced the fight against segregation but also laid the groundwork for future civil rights activism.