Friends, colleagues remember civil rights icon Rosa Parks in Detroit

Rosa Parks is best known for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, an act that helped ignite the modern civil rights movement.

For many people in Detroit, Parks was more than a figure in history books. She was a neighbor, mentor, colleague and friend.

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, CBS News Detroit explores Parks' decades-long connection to Michigan through the memories of people who knew her personally.

After facing threats and harassment in the South, Parks and her husband, Raymond, moved to Detroit in 1957. While her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott made her internationally known, those close to her say her commitment to civil rights and community service continued quietly for decades.

"Everybody says she was quiet, and that's true, but her quietness was intentional," said Cynthia Carter, president of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. "She used her words to have power, so when she spoke, it was action."

Parks spent more than 20 years working for U.S. Rep. John Conyers after he was elected to Congress in 1964. She served as a secretary and receptionist while remaining active in causes affecting Detroit residents.

Anita Peek, a board member of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, first met Parks as a child on Detroit's east side.

"She used to come to our house for dinner — breakfast, lunch and dinner," Peek recalled.

Peek said Parks was warm and personable, adding that one of her favorite memories involved Parks' cooking.

"She could really cook, and her pound cake was delicious," Peek said.

As Parks' national profile continued to grow, so did the honors she received. In 1999, she became the first woman to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest civilian honors.

Garrett Campbell, now a board member of the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development, accompanied Parks to Washington for the ceremony.

"I had the honor to escort her at the Capitol to receive that Congressional Gold Medal," Campbell said.

For Campbell, meeting Parks transformed a historical figure into a real person.

"From doing essays on her and presentations on her as a small kid to getting the opportunity to meet her and speak with her — it was really surreal," he said.

In her later years, Parks focused much of her energy on educating and mentoring young people. She co-founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development in 1987, creating programs designed to teach civil rights history, leadership and community engagement.

"This was her idea," Carter said. "This is her way of giving back — of supporting youth."

More than 20 years after Parks' death in 2005, those who knew her say the lessons she championed remain relevant.

"In this climate, her story of perseverance, working with people, the whole nonviolence movement is key to moving forward," Carter said.

For the people who shared meals with her, worked alongside her, and learned directly from her, Parks' legacy extends far beyond a single moment on a bus.