Joined Order of the Eastern Star

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks was an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star (OES), a Masonic-affiliated fraternal organization that included both men and women. Historical records show that Parks was a charter member of the Alonzo Mitchell Chapter No. 636 under the Mizpah Grand Chapter of the Prince Hall Affiliated Order of the Eastern Star in Alabama, demonstrating her involvement in organized Black civic and fraternal networks well before her historic 1955 bus protest in Montgomery. Archival materials preserved in the Rosa Parks Papers confirm that Parks joined the organization years before she became internationally known through the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Among the surviving records is a 1940 dues book documenting her membership activities during the era of Jim Crow segregation in the American South. The Prince Hall Affiliation held particular importance for African American communities during the twentieth century. Because segregation excluded Black Americans from many white fraternal organizations and civic institutions, Prince Hall Masonic groups and affiliated organizations such as the Order of the Eastern Star became important centers for mutual aid, education, leadership development, social networking, and community support. These groups often helped strengthen connections between church leaders, teachers, activists, business owners, and civil rights organizers. Rosa Parks’ participation in the Order of the Eastern Star reflected her broader involvement in Black institutional life long before the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In addition to her work with the NAACP and local civil rights campaigns, Parks remained active in churches, women’s groups, and community organizations that supported political education and social advancement within African American communities. Records connected to her OES membership are preserved today within the Rosa Parks Papers at the Library of Congress. The archival collection includes membership documents, correspondence, and organizational files spanning multiple decades of her life. These materials provide additional insight into the community networks and leadership structures that shaped Parks’ activism before and after her arrest on 01/12/1955. Why This Moment Matters : Rosa Parks’ involvement in the Order of the Eastern Star highlights the broader civic and fraternal networks that supported African American activism during segregation. Organizations such as the Prince Hall Affiliated OES helped create spaces for leadership, education, and mutual support that contributed to the foundations of the civil rights movement.