Never Tired: Representations of Rosa Parks and the American National Narrative ; Jamais fatiguée : les représentations de Rosa Parks et le récit national états-unien

Abstract

International audience ; The dominant narrative about Rosa Parks' action in 1955 is more of a morality tale than factual. This ambiguous memorialization is indicative both of the political context of the 1950s, but also of the distortions around the history of the civil rights movement that persist to this day. This article sheds light on the way Rosa Parks was presented, including during the events themselves, by analyzing some of the best-known photographs. The political context imposed narrow limits on protest, particularly with regard to African-American women.