Though we all know the tale of Rosa Parks’ refusal to rise from her seat on a bus one day and the impact it had on the Civil Rights Movement, few know the story of the woman behind the action.
Peacock’s latest documentary, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, finally pulls back the curtain on the woman whose simple “no” became the spark that led to the blaze of desegregation in the Jim Crow South during the 1950’s.
The film tells the unexpected story of Parks and her life beyond the historic bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, turning Parks’ story on its head and revealing the intent behind her activism, her radical politics and the true extent of her courage.
Told via a wealth of video footage, exclusive audio of Parks herself, and a wide range of interview subjects, including activists, celebrities, and Parks’ own family members, the film paints an honest and evocative picture of her defiant spirit, the countless hardships she faced over the course of her life, and examined how her legacy continues on in today’s ongoing long path toward justice and equality.
“I felt that I had a message, but people did not choose to listen to what I was saying,” Parks can be seen saying in her own words during the trailer.
The film breaks down not only that fateful day on that Montgomery bus, but her decades of radical activism, and even her little-known dealings with the Black Panther Party.
Take a look at the trailer below.
Executive produced by Soledad O’Brien, Jo Honig, Patrick Conway, and Co-executive produced and directed by Yoruba Richen and Johanna Hamilton, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks premieres only on Peacock on October 19.