Sylvester McCauley was the only sibling of Rosa Parks, the civil rights icon who refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955. He was born on August 20, 1915, in Pine Level, Alabama, and grew up in a poor and segregated rural community. He left school at an early age to help support his family when his mother became ill. He later served in the Army during World War II, fighting in both the European and the Pacific theaters. He married Daisy, whom he met on a leave, and moved to Detroit, Michigan, after the war. He worked for the Chrysler Motor Company and did carpentry jobs on the side. He also supported his sister’s activism and was a member of the NAACP. He died on April 11, 1977, at the age of 61. But what was the cause of his death?
A Mysterious Death
According to the Library of Congress, Sylvester McCauley died of natural causes. However, some sources suggest that his death was not so simple. According to the website WisdomAnswer, which cites an article from the Detroit Free Press, Sylvester McCauley was found dead in his car, which was parked in front of his home. The article claimed that he had been shot in the head, and that the police were investigating his death as a possible homicide. The article also mentioned that Sylvester McCauley had received death threats in the past, and that his sister Rosa Parks had been the target of harassment and violence by white supremacists. The article speculated that his death could have been related to his involvement in the civil rights movement, or to his work as a union organizer at Chrysler.
However, the article from the Detroit Free Press is no longer available online, and no other sources confirm its claims. The website Find a Grave, which provides information on burial sites, states that Sylvester McCauley was buried at the Detroit Memorial Park East, but does not mention the cause of his death. The website Rosa Parks which is dedicated to the life and legacy of Rosa Parks, also does not mention how Sylvester McCauley died, only that he was deceased. It is possible that the article from the Detroit Free Press was inaccurate, or that the family of Sylvester McCauley preferred to keep the details of his death private.
A Forgotten Hero
Regardless of the cause of his death, Sylvester McCauley deserves to be remembered as a hero in his own right. He was a brave soldier who fought for his country, a hard-working father who raised thirteen children, and a loyal brother who supported his sister’s struggle for justice. He was also a victim of racism and discrimination, and faced many challenges and dangers in his life. He was a part of the history of the civil rights movement, and his story should not be overlooked or forgotten. He was more than just Rosa Parks’ brother, he was Sylvester McCauley, a man of courage and dignity.
