The power of Rosa Parks’ legacy has always rested in the quiet strength of her defiance and the lasting ripple of her belief that one act of courage can ignite generations. Forty-five years after she and Detroit partners founded the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation, that ripple is still transforming lives — one student, one scholarship, one dream at a time.
Since 1980, the foundation has awarded more than $3 million in scholarships to over 1,600 Michigan high school seniors. Each recipient carries a story of resilience, young people who refused to let financial barriers define their potential. In an era where college tuition has far outpaced inflation, these scholarships have been a lifeline, especially for students from Detroit and communities across the state where the cost of higher education can determine a family’s future.
The foundation’s president, Jim Rosenfeld, says this mission remains as urgent as ever. Each scholarship, he notes, celebrates not only academic excellence but the values Rosa Parks embodied: courage, leadership, and service.
“Funds raised at our upcoming event will help us continue our mission, supporting the next generation of scholars as they pursue their dreams in college and beyond,” he said.
That mission will take center stage on November 1, when the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation hosts its 45th Anniversary Gala at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, fittingly, the same space that houses the historic Montgomery bus where Parks refused to give up her seat. The evening will honor her memory with stories, music, and community celebration.
Detroit native and Emmy Award–winning actor Courtney B. Vance will serve as the keynote speaker, bringing home a message of perseverance and purpose that has defined both his career and the foundation’s ethos. The night will also feature remarks from Jamal Simmons, a CNN political commentator and creator of the TrailBlaze podcast, who returns as this year’s alumni speaker.
Guests will begin the evening with a VIP reception held in front of Rosa Parks’s restored bus — a national symbol of resistance now turned into a living classroom. The program will include dinner, dancing, and music from a Detroit DJ, all set against the backdrop of history that continues to move generations forward.
For alumna Monice Mitchell Simms, the scholarship was more than an award; it was a seed of belief. Now an award-winning author, screenwriter, and producer, she remembers how receiving that scholarship shaped her confidence and ambition.
“Because of that, I got the confidence to apply for everything, and I kept applying and kept applying,” she recalled. “All because the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation — the same organization who honors one of my favorite heroes — saw me and let me know that I was worthy.”
That sense of being seen, valued, and believed in is what continues to distinguish the foundation’s work. Founded by Mrs. Parks alongside The Detroit News and Detroit Public Schools, the organization was built with the understanding that equity in education begins with access. Each scholarship awarded honors not only a student’s academic merit but also their commitment to community and their capacity to lead with purpose.
Erica Thedford, Rosa Parks’s great-niece and a member of the foundation’s board of directors, carries that family legacy into the next generation. She describes her aunt’s constant reminder that education was both a right and a responsibility, the foundation upon which every movement for progress must stand.
“Auntie Rosa was always pushing us to make sure we went as far as we could with our education and never stopped learning,” Thedford said. “That was the way to further everything — she was big on education and reaching back and pulling somebody up with you. It’s important to me to continue what she was doing with education, and I am proud to serve on the board of the scholarship foundation that bears her name.”
The impact of that message reverberates through every corner of Michigan. For countless recipients, the Rosa Parks Scholarship served as both a financial resource and a moral compass, reminding them that their journey toward higher education is also a continuation of a much larger struggle for equality. The foundation’s alumni include educators, engineers, lawyers, artists, and community advocates who have returned to uplift the same neighborhoods that nurtured their early dreams.
Detroit’s educational landscape has changed dramatically since 1980, but the need for support remains constant. Rising tuition costs, limited access to financial aid, and systemic inequities continue to weigh heavily on first-generation and low-income students, many of them Black youth navigating barriers that mirror the injustices Parks spent her life challenging. The foundation’s longevity is proof that small, consistent acts of community investment can spark transformative change.
At the Henry Ford Museum, where history meets reflection, this anniversary will not simply mark the passage of time but the endurance of an idea. Rosa Parks’ commitment to justice was rooted in quiet but unshakable conviction; that standing still in courage could move a nation forward. The students who receive these scholarships embody that same spirit.
As the foundation looks to the future, its leaders envision expanding outreach, increasing scholarship amounts, and ensuring that every deserving Michigan student, regardless of background, has a fair shot at success. The 45th anniversary is a moment to celebrate how far they’ve come and to recommit to the generations yet to rise.
The Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation’s legacy endures in the faces of young scholars who carry forward her belief in education as a tool of liberation. And in Detroit her story remains alive, not just in museums or textbooks, but in classrooms, on campuses, and within every student who dares to dream boldly, knowing that someone once sat down so they could stand tall.
Tickets for the 45th Anniversary Gala can be purchased through Eventbrite. More information about the Rosa Parks Scholarship Foundation and its scholarship opportunities is available at rosaparksscholarship.org.
