Parks is now famous for her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in which she refused to give up her seat and was arrested. Activist leaders chose Parks to perform this duty because, unlike some others who had been arrested for the same offense, Parks was considered a 'respectable' citizen whose victimization would help their cause.

When the KKK applied to sponsor a section of US I-55, the Missouri legislature responded by renaming the section of highway 'Rosa Parks Highway.'