1827-1901

"One hundred years before Rosa Parks took her stand, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Jennings tried to board a streetcar in New York City on her way to church. Though there were plenty of empty seats, she was denied entry, assaulted, and threatened all because of her race--even though New York was a free state at that time. Lizzie decided to fight back. She told her story, took her case to court-- where future president Chester Arthur represented her-- and won! Her victory was the first recorded in the fight for equal rights on public transportation, and Lizzie's case set a precedent"--OCLC.

Tells the story of Elizabeth Jennings and the impact she had on desegregating public transit.

In 1854, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Jennings, an African American schoolteacher, fought back when she was unjustly denied entry to a New York City streetcar, sparking the beginnings of the long struggle to gain equal rights on public transportation.

In 1854, a young African American woman named Elizabeth Jennings won a major victory against a New York City streetcar company, a first step in the process of desegregating public transportation in Manhattan.