A broader account of Parks

Montgomery residents can spend Saturday morning learning more about Rosa Parks' lifetime of organizing through a free program at the museum that bears her name. Troy University's Rosa Parks Museum has scheduled a screening of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks for October 24 at 10:30 am Central Time, followed by a conversation with historian and author Jeanne Theoharis. The university says the event is open to the public.

The program focuses on more than the moment Parks was arrested on a Montgomery bus. Troy describes the screening and discussion as an exploration of her long record of activism, strategy and work for justice. That broader view gives the event a clear local purpose: it takes place in the city where the bus boycott became a defining chapter of the civil rights movement, while asking audiences to consider the work before and after it.

The film, released in 2022, is based on Theoharis' biography of Parks. Troy says Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen directed the documentary, with Soledad O'Brien as executive producer. Theoharis will speak after the screening, giving viewers a chance to connect the film's account with the research behind the book. The museum has not listed a separate ticket price because the program is free.

The Alabama Humanities Alliance sponsors the event. Troy says a limited number of books will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and light refreshments will follow. Those details are useful for planning, but the university did not promise a book for every attendee. Anyone especially interested in a copy should arrive early and treat availability as limited.

Before you go

Theoharis is a political science professor at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. Her scholarship covers the civil rights and Black Power movements as well as the politics of race. Her biography of Parks helped challenge the familiar shorthand that reduces an organizer's life to one act of defiance. The event offers an opportunity to hear that fuller interpretation in the city most closely associated with Parks' public legacy.

The Rosa Parks Museum is part of Troy University's Montgomery campus at 252 Montgomery Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. Visitors should confirm the exact entrance and parking instructions on the museum's directions page before setting out. The 10:30 am Central Time start applies to the screening and conversation program on Saturday, October 24, 2026. Troy has not specified a registration requirement in its announcement, so readers should check the organizer's page for any last-minute update.

For parents and educators, the event could also be a starting point for conversations about how historical change happens. Parks' work involved organizing networks and sustained commitment, not only a single famous day. The film and author discussion are designed to put that work in context. The announcement does not provide an age recommendation, so families should review the film and event details before bringing younger children.

Montgomery has many places that preserve the history of the bus boycott. This particular program adds a conversation with the scholar whose book informed the film, at no admission cost. Residents who plan to attend should use Troy's event announcement for current details and the museum's directions page for travel information, then arrive before the 10:30 am Central Time start.

Because this is a one-day program, checking the organizer's page on the morning of the event is especially useful if travel or weather conditions change.

Sources and planning links

Troy University event announcement

Rosa Parks Museum directions