In 1949, she was verbally attacked by a bus driver for sitting in the from seat of an empty bus. This incident provoked anger and made her want to do something about it.

Six years later, following the arrest of Rosa Parks, Jo Ann Robinson and the NAACP organized a one day bus boycott. It was common knowledge that the majority of bus users were blacks.

The boycott occurred December 5, 1955. Jo Ann had sent mimeographed handouts to all the blacks, instructing them not to ride the bus on December 5. They boycott was successful, and as a result, Jo Ann and some others formed a group called the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) in 1985.

Martin Luther King Jr. was president of MIA. They boycotted the buses for one year. All demands that were made were rejected. During that year, they arranged for car pools to and from work, while others had to walk to school or work.

Jo Ann Robinson will be remembered as an important woman in history who made her presence known. She had the tenacity to stand for what she believed in and made a difference.