Rosa Parks riding on the Montgomery Area Transit System bus, Alabama, after segregation laws were lifted. Source: AP
IT'S the iconic image that changed a generation.
Fifty nine years ago to the day, seamstress Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus in defiance of the law.
While Parks wasn't the first to refuse to give up her seat, her simple and spontaneous act that day led to her arrest and sparked a year-long bus boycott led by Martin Luther King that ultimately led to the Civil Rights Act, changing the lives of millions across the country.
Her arrest triggered the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King. Source: News Corp Australia
The bus she is believed to have been riding. Source: AP
Parks was 43 at the time. Source: News Limited
Parks was honoured with a Congressional Gold Medal and passed away in 2005. Source: Supplied
Nearly 60 years on, the US is reeling after mass protests from Oakland to Detroit in the wake of a grand jury decision not to indict an officer Darren Wilson for shooting teenager Michael Brown in a suburban street.
The protests have captured global attention as a symbol of America's racially-charged legacy, prompting plenty of debate about how far the US has come and how far they have to go.
Even President Obama weighed in, saying the frustrations are a sign of the "deep roots in many communities of colour who have a sense that our laws are not always being enforced uniformly or fairly."
In light of the anniversary of that fateful day, here is a selection of the raw statistics that show the reality of life for African Americans in 2014:
Demonstrators protest the shooting death of Michael Brown in Missouri using the hands up symbol. Source: AFP
65 per cent — of African Americans think the police went too far in Ferguson after the shooting of Michael Brown. The white population is divided, with 33 per cent saying police went too far, 32 per cent said the response was right, while 35 per cent have no opinion, according to the Pew Research Centre.
This week, President Obama will meet with local civil rights leaders and law enforcement officials to discuss the challenges of the "mistrust" between police and parts of the community and work out a way to strengthen neighbourhoods.
13.2 per cent — proportion of the population in the US that is African American. It's the third largest group behind whites, which make up 62 per cent, and Latinos which account for 17 per cent of the population, the US census reports.
We don't know — how many people are killed by police each year, with agencies left to self-report fatal shootings by officers. It's thought the number could be between 400 and 1000 each year, according to The Washington Post, however one grassroots movement claims one black man is killed every 28 hours at the hands of police and security forces.
Members of the NAACP and supporters start out on the Journey for Justice — a 120 mile march from Mike Brown's home to the Governor's mansion in Missouri. Source: AFP
A protester holds a button with Mike Brown's face on it. Pic: Curtis Compton, File. Source: AP
Michael Brown's death has highlighted the legacy of racial tension across the US. (AP Photo/Brown Family, File) Source: AP
45 per cent — The proportion of Americans that say the country has made substantial progress towards equality, while 49 per cent say "a lot more" needs to be done, according to the Pew Research Centre. However, views can depend on race, with African Americans more likely to say they are treated less fairly by police, the courts, schools and other institutions than whites. However significant groups of whites also agree there is unequal treatment.
3 million — The number of African Americans enrolled in college, compared to 306,000 in 1964, when the Civil Rights Act was passed. Eighty-five per cent of blacks aged 25 or older have also completed at least four years of high school, the Census reports.
10.9 per cent — The unemployment rate for African Americans, who make up the highest proportion of unemployed people of any racial group. Overall, the unemployment rate in the US is 5.8 per cent, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
More than 2200 National Guard troops were sent into Ferguson to police the city after the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson. Pic: Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP Source: AFP
The death of Michael Brown drew comparisons to that of teen Trayvon Martin who was killed by neighbourhood watchman George Zimmerman in 2012. Source: AFP
Trayvon Martin (AP Photos, File) Source: Supplied
Jay-Z attended a rally in support of Trayvon Martin, organised by the Reverend Al Sharpton, in response to the non-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman in 2013. (Andrew Burton/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
Beyonce dedicated a moment silence to Trayvon Martin during her concert hours after George Zimmerman was found not guilty by a Florida jury. (AP Photo/Parkwood Entertainment, Robin Harper) Source: AP
27.2 per cent — The poverty rate for African Americans in 2012 is the highest of all racial groups, including Hispanics at 25.6 per cent, the Census reports.
0 — Number of black people included in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index for world's 20 richest people. Forbes also reports that of those on the global billionaire list, just nine are black, an improvement from seven last year. Oprah is the richest African American with a US$2.9 billion fortune thanks to her television show and production company.
51 per cent — The number of Americans who don't believe blacks and other minorities get equal treatment in the criminal justice system, compared to 46 per cent who believe they do, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
Oprah is the richest African American in the US thanks to her stellar television career. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images
37 per cent — The proportion of the US prison population that is African American, as the BBC first reported. Figures from December 2013 show there was an estimated 1,574,700 people in the US prison system, made up of 37 per cent black people, 32 per cent white and 22 per cent Hispanic.
A study by Stanford University found that even when shown evidence the justice system unfairly targeted blacks, it still made people more likely to support harsh criminal justice penalties. American Progress also reported that one in every 15 African American men is in prison, compared to one in every 36 Hispanic men and one in 106 white men. Black students are also arrested more often than their white classmates.
6 out of 10 — The number of African Americans living with moderate or high levels of economic insecurity. This was higher than one in five for the Hispanic population in the US and one in four for the white population according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
67 per cent — the number of eligible African American people who voted at the 2012 presidential election. It's higher than the 64 per cent of eligible white voters who did so, thought to be partly due to the historic candidacy of Barack Obama.
The election of President Barack Obama in 2008 was significant as the first African American to become President. Source: AFP
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