Often times when we think of Rosa Parks, we can only image her in one setting. Sitting on the bus, refusing to give up her seat. But she lived a long life and recent pictures from her personal life, now in the possession of the Library of Congress. And from the looks of the images it was a full one.
Check out some of our favorites below
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The intimate personal snapshots of Rosa Parks, published for the first time <a href="https://t.co/wz8QByXTvt">https://t.co/wz8QByXTvt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Black?src=hash">#Black</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/History?src=hash">#History</a> <a href="https://t.co/9txQ1YZjQh">pic.twitter.com/9txQ1YZjQh</a></p>
— Keisha N. Blain (@KeishaBlain) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeishaBlain/status/822620886377394178">January 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This is Rosa getting her hair done at a beauty shop in Miami.
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Never before seen photos of late activist Rosa Parks provides a glimpse into what her everyday life was like: <a href="https://t.co/rTZauImavs">https://t.co/rTZauImavs</a> <a href="https://t.co/mL4vWgvyPy">pic.twitter.com/mL4vWgvyPy</a></p>
— SAINT HERON (@SaintHeron) <a href="https://twitter.com/SaintHeron/status/824633009127071746">January 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">These are the personal snapshots of Rosa Parks after her act of defiance spurred the Montgomery Bus Boycott<a href="https://t.co/J7A68g1yaH">https://t.co/J7A68g1yaH</a> <a href="https://t.co/pizZrKNc5m">pic.twitter.com/pizZrKNc5m</a></p>
— Timeline (@Timeline_Now) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timeline_Now/status/821055984487448576">January 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Here is an inside look at never-before-seen photographs of Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks: <a href="https://t.co/rTZauI4zDU">https://t.co/rTZauI4zDU</a> <a href="https://t.co/0Je7CHFwuL">pic.twitter.com/0Je7CHFwuL</a></p>
— SAINT HERON (@SaintHeron) <a href="https://twitter.com/SaintHeron/status/824272048453193728">January 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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And our favorite one of this one with her hair down. It's not just that her hair is longer than we ever saw, it's the reasoning behind her decision to wear it up all the time.
<img src="http://madamenoire.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Screen-Shot-2017-01-27-at-6.18.46-PM.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-783994" width="589" height="795" />
In an 2013 article <em><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanne-theoharis/rosa-parks-100th-birthday_b_2614678.html">Huffington Post</a>, </em>Jeanne Theoharis, author of <em>The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks</em> explained why we always saw Rosa's hair in a braided updo.
<blockquote><em>“Many of Parks’ ancestors were Indians. She noted this to a friend who was surprised when in private Parks removed her hairpins and revealed thick braids of wavy hair that fell below her waist. Her husband, she said, liked her hair long and she kept it that way for many years after his death, although she never wore it down in public. Aware of the racial politics of hair and appearance, she tucked it away in a series of braids and buns — maintaining a clear division between her public presentation and private person.”</em></blockquote>
<span class="im"><i>Veronica Wells is the culture editor at MadameNoire.com. She is also the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bettah-Days-Veronica-R-Wells/dp/1535549866" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.amazon.com/Bettah-Days-Veronica-R-Wells/dp/1535549866&source=gmail&ust=1485619623879000&usg=AFQjCNEw-NIXxqb3e3YHEC7AzMDhimcWbQ">“Bettah Days.”</a> You can follow her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/veronicarwells" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.facebook.com/veronicarwells&source=gmail&ust=1485619623879000&usg=AFQjCNEV-wr_HOpuwoAjsLP38HrlBO7cxw">Facebook</a> and Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/VDubShrug" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://twitter.com/VDubShrug&source=gmail&ust=1485619623879000&usg=AFQjCNG90TmCVHNutyKpE7WqhFpeulmWZw"> @VDubShrug.</a></i> </span>
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