The notable figure in civil rights who was a prominent leader during the Montgomery Bus Boycott is Rosa Parks. Her courageous act of refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955 sparked a pivotal moment in the American civil rights movement. Parks' defiance catalyzed the boycott, led by figures like Martin Luther King Jr., which played a crucial role in challenging racial segregation in public transportation. Rosa Parks is remembered as the "mother of the civil rights movement," symbolizing the struggle for equality and justice.