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On this date in history: December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat

Rosa Parks' legacy was honored with a statue unveiling in downtown Montgomery, Alabama.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In 1955, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, was arrested after refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus.

Her arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement.

To commemorate the incident, the City of Montgomery is unveiling a new statue of the civil rights pioneer.

The statue will be unveiled on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Montgomery Plaza at the Court Street Fountain, 64 years to the day of Parks' arrest.

Credit: AP Photo/Daily Advertiser
This undated photo shows Rosa Parks riding on the Montgomery Area Transit System bus. Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus on Dec. 1, 1955, and ignited the boycott that led to a federal court ruling against segregation in public transportation.

RELATED: Alabama unveils statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks

In addition to the Parks statue, there will also be four granite markers to honor the plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle - the landmark case that ruled segregation on Montgomery buses unconstitutional.

The civil rights memorials are a partnership among the city and county, the Alabama tourism department and the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts.

RELATED: Students say Rosa Parks statue vandalized at Hampton University

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