For the first time in history, a woman lies in state at the nation's capitol. On Monday, many gathered in Washington, D.C. to mark the end of an era, and say goodbye to one of its most beloved iconic figures.

American Civil Rights Pioneer Rosa Parks passed away in her home October 24 in Detroit at the age of 92. Her body lies in state in the capitol rotunda, an honor reserved only for presidents.

Noted African Americans came out to celebrate the life and achievements of Parks, including Oprah Winfrey and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who acknowledged that Parks is the reason she is able to hold her current position.

Outspoken activist Al Sharpton said of her courage, "Because she didn't move, she changed this country."

Ms. Parks sparked what we know today to be the Civil Rights Movment nearly 50 years ago, when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus - despite rules requiring blacks to yield their seats to whites. Two black Montgomery women had been arrested earlier that year on the same charge, but Mrs. Parks was jailed and fined $14.

Her notorious act of courageous defiance on December 1, 1955 sparked the Montgomery bus boycott that brought the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to prominence, and in later years, earned her the Congressional Gold Medal.

Parks, a seamstress, was one of the first women to join the Montgomery NAACP branch in 1943. In addition to serving as the branch secretary, Parks was the youth advisor for several years.

The same year - 1943 - she made two failed attempts to register to vote. She was told she didn't pass the literacy test - a test blacks had to pass in order to register. Certain that she HAD passed, on her third attempt two years later, she made a copy of her answers, planning to take some kind of action if she was denied again. This time, though, she was informed she passed.

As youth advisor to the NAACP, Parks helped young people organize protests at the city's main library because the libraries reserved for blacks had fewer books. In the 1930's, Parks worked with her husband, Raymond Parks, a NAACP activist, for the defense of the Scottsboro Boys, nine young African American men pulled off a train, falsely accused and found guilty of raping two white women in 1931.

Death Threats and other incidents prompted Parks to move with her husband to Detroit in 1957, where she lived out the remainder of her life. In a 1995 interview with the Detroit Free Press, Parks said: "I'd like people to say I'm a person who always wanted to be free and wanted it not only for myself; freedom is for all human beings." CLICK HERE TO HEAR ONYX MAGAZINE'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ROSA PARKS' GODSON CURTIS DEAN.

Julian Bond, chairman, NAACP Board of Directors, said: "Rosa Parks was truly the mother of the modern civil rights movement. She was NAACP Secretary in Montgomery when she sat down in order to stand up for civil rights, and her quiet example demonstrated to millions new ways to confront the evil of segregation."

RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman issued the following statement on the passing of Rosa Parks: "Rosa Parks is an American hero. Her courage and moral clarity in the face of bigotry and oppression launched the civil rights movement and inspired millions to stand up for fundamental fairness. America is freer and a better nation today because of Rosa Parks."

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said he felt a personal tie to the civil rights icon: "She stood up by sitting down. I'm only standing here because of her."

Atlanta Bishop Eddie L. Long released a poignant statement today in tribute to the nation's fallen hero:

"Rosa Parks will always be remembered as a shining light in a dim world. Her legacy as a catalyst for social change and justice for all man kind will always be remembered and cherished for countless generations to come. Mrs. Parks ultimate stand in life was that she remained seated; her ultimate role as an activist was that she did not move. For that, I honor the life and legacy of the matriarch of a nationwide movement that birthed a global ideology of equality and justice for all. My continued prayers are with the Parks family during this difficult time."

Parks will be laid to rest in Detroit on Wednesday (11/2).