Rosa Parks Essay, Found by Civil Rights Historian Danielle McGuire, Reveals Harrowing Rape Attempt by White Neighbor in 1931

Civil rights icon Rosa Parks penned a harrowing account of nearly being raped by a white neighbor, who hired her as a housekeeper in 1931.

Civil rights historian Danielle McGuire said she had never before heard of the attempted rape of Parks and called the find among Parks' papers astounding.Of her own experience, Parks wrote, "He offered me a drink of whiskey, which I promptly and vehemently refused... He moved nearer to me and put his hand on my waist. I was very frightened by now."

"He liked me.... he didn't want me to be lonely and would I be sweet to him. He had money to give me for accepting his attentions," she wrote. "I was ready to die but give my consent never. Never, never." Source

That's pretty profound and shows that even Rosa Parks had to confront an issue that so many women have been faced with at one point in their lives -- violation of their bodies.