Thousands of mourners, from high-level politicians, civil rights activists and business leaders to ordinary citizens, joined in the funeral in Detroit for civil rights icon Rosa Parks Wednesday.

R&B legend Aretha Franklin sang "The Impossible Dream" in honor of Parks' refusal to give up her seat on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama nearly 50 years ago. It was that action that sparked the modern civil rights movement.

Former President Clinton told those packed into the Greater Grace Temple church in Detroit that Parks became known around the world "because of a single, simple act of dignity and courage that struck a lethal blow to the foundations of legal bigotry."

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm called Parks "a heroic warrior for equality" -- and "a warrior for the everyman and the everywoman."

Illinois Senator Barack Obama said history will remember "this small, quiet woman." He said her name will be known "long after the names of senators and presidents have been forgotten."

Parks was 92 when she died last month in Detroit.