On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American woman, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest led to a 381-day boycott of the Montgomery bus system, organized by civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. The boycott was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement and led to the desegregation of the citys buses. Parks became an iconic symbol of resistance to racial segregation. The boycott helped galvanize a nationwide push for civil rights legislation.