Theoharis opens by addressing Rosa Parks’s views on the autobiography genre. Parks wondered whether sharing intimate details of her life might alter the impact of the symbol she became. She was born in 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Rosa’s mother, Leona Edwards, was a schoolteacher, and she instilled in her daughter the importance of education and dignity. Rosa’s father was absent for most of her childhood. Later in life, he made amends with his daughter. Her grandparents were enslaved, and her grandfather was a strong activist. From her family, Rosa inherited courage and the desire to enact change.

Ku Klux Klan activity increased after World War I, and Rosa and her family often slept with their clothes on in case of an attack during the night. Her schoolteacher mother was on constant guard against arson at the schoolhouse, a common act of the Klan and other white supremacists. Rosa described her family’s instilling in her the understanding that she was not yet free and that she must fight for her place in the world. The young girl often helped her family pick cotton, and she later recalled the plantation owner driving by to make sure they were working hard enough.