The document discusses segregation in the United States during the 1950s. Black and white people were legally considered equal, but segregation laws separated the races in public spaces like schools, hospitals, buses and toilets. Segregation led to black people facing poorer treatment, violence and fewer economic opportunities than white people. The document then highlights key events and figures in the civil rights movement, including Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a bus in 1955, which sparked the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr. It notes King's role as a leader of non-violent protests and his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech advocating for racial equality.