The portrait that emerges is of someone with fierce tenacity in the face of danger and selfless devotion to helping others, but little to no interest in touting her own achievements or seeking publicity for herself. Rosa Parks” combines interviews, archival footage and, most effectively of all, the thoughts and opinions of Parks herself, shared in the film through film and audio clips of her speaking and also through excerpts from her writings, which are read by actor LisaGay Hamilton. As her great-nephew Lonnie McCauley says, she was “a soldier from birth.” And that was just one chapter of her decades-long fight against racism. In it, her quest for justice seems as relevant in 2022 as it was nearly 70 years ago at the height of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The film is, surprisingly enough, the first full-length documentary about Parks, who died in 2005 at age 92. It reveals that she was more complex, radical and courageous than most of us realize. “Interviewers still only want to talk about that one evening in 1955 when I refused to give up my seat on the bus,' she notes, an observation made long after she had become famous.Īs a member of the same mainstream media that conducted most of those interviews, all I can say is thank goodness for historians and filmmakers. The full legacy of Parks - which goes far beyond the simplified tale of a woman who took an impromptu stand against segregation - is covered by the documentary that’s now available on Peacock, NBC’s streaming site

Rosa Parks,” the icon of the title expresses a hint of frustration at being defined as a seamstress who got tired.

The rebellious life of mrs rosa parks